Today, I was planning to share with you fresh morsels of “magic” related to a variety of unique and distinctive, yet commonly shared vinifera experiences. As I unpacked several wonderful, whimsical, wild-and-wooly, and even serendipitous moments in vino, I unintentionally stumbled upon instances involving obstacles and exclusions placed along the personal, cultural, and historical collective wine paths of several specific groups.

I was surprised and shocked to find such stark examples of the marginalization and alienation from the wine world experienced by my lovely, culturally rich, and beautifully diverse neighbors and friends who reside south of us. I set my focus on Mexico primarily due to my own curiosity as to why Mexico has only recently become a “hip, newly burgeoning wine” culture and wine destination.

I will begin with the history of pulque, which immediately grabbed my attention. What is it? Pulque is often referred to as “Agave Wine,” and “the magical drink of the gods.” This un-distilled beverage fermented from the sap of the maguey (agave) plant has a rich history, having been produced the same way in central Mexico for over several millennia.

Within the last five or six years, the rebirth of pulque especially among the younger, “hip” crowd in Mexico City is unusual, and the reality is that its recent popularity amongst the cool kids is an enigma.

Pulque has the appearance of a milk, yet is more viscous. Since pulque stays fresh for only a few short days, authentic, high-quality pulque should not have a strong, intense, or an overpowering aroma. And, if the texture of your pulque is overtly slimy, this may indicate that Nopal cactus has been added to the pulque to make it more appealing to the “young” crowd.

This magical maguey wine should neither be too smelly, too gooey, nor too slimy. Pulque’s flavor is described as having a sour yeastlike bite.  Lambic comes to mind, yet pulque is quite distinctive from lambic on the palate. It should be a brilliant white, not a cream color, nor completely transparent, because then it would be “aguamiel” (the pre-fermented state of the maguey’s nectar). There will always be a layer of bubbles on top because it is in a constant state of  fermentation.

The drink’s history extends far back into the Mesoamerican period, when it was considered sacred, and its use was limited to certain classes. After the Spanish conquest of Mexico, the drink became secular and its consumption rose. The consumption of pulque reached its peak in the late 19th century.  In the 20th century, however, the drink fell into decline, mostly because of competition from beer, which became more prevalent with the arrival of European immigrants.

Before the Spanish colonization of the Americas, pulque was used for religious ceremonies in Mesoamerica. After the arrival of the Spanish, no laws were made to restrict its consumption and use. Ultimately, pulque became a lucrative source of tax revenue for the rulers, becoming the fourth largest source of tax revenue for them.

Pulque consumption was widespread among Indigenous Americans and mixed-race castas at this time. “Castas” were a system of racial hierarchy created by the Spanish colonialists which classified groups into external racial composition and perceived social classes. Casta paintings from this period generally depicted Indigenous Americans and those of African descent as being drunk with bottles of pulque in their hands.

Many social problems including sexual crimes and violence within the population occurred during the early colonial period. However, by 1672, public drunkenness had become enough of a problem that the viceregal government created regulations to curtail its consumption. At the end of the 17th century, though, the Jesuits began large-scale production of pulque to finance their newly-formed educational institutions.

Pulque production exploded again after Independence, due to the end of regulations on producers of the beverage. Pulque was also intimately tied to the spirit of Mexican Nationalism. Today, however, Pulque only represents about 10% of the alcoholic beverages consumed in casas Mexicanos, cantinas, clubs, salons de bailar, salons de mariachi, el restaurantes Mexicanos or pulquerias.

What cause this sudden decline? Pulque consumption was generally regarded as something “lower class” by this time. The complex and delicate fermentation process also limited the beverages’ production and distribution. Agitation while shipping also adversely affects the drink by speeding up its degradation & decline. Thus, since pulque needs to be consumed while it is very fresh, production and consumption is more difficult to control than beer.

The straw that broke the camel’s back for pulque, though, was the European Immigrant Beer Industry’s campaign to discredit the beverage’s hygienic and sanitary qualities. The Beer Industry’s claim was that a muneca (doll) or textile bag filled with human or animal feces was thrown into the aquamiel to accelerate the fermentation process. All of these aforementioned factor greatly impacted public perceptions to pulque.

Thus, many political and economic factors influenced the popularity of pulque throughout Mexican history. In my next blogpost, I will share with you the story of how the history of pulque in Mexico greatly impacted and influenced today’s attitudes and views regarding the consumption of wines made from the vitas vinifera grape.