Portales vineyard closer to public opening

PORTALES — Eastern New Mexico wine lovers, take heed: Portales is closer to having its own vineyard.

Enchantment Vineyards, located east of Portales, was approved by the city for a license to distribute wine in 2016, and about four months ago began shipping its own creations across the country, according to co-owner Megan Hamilton.

“The biggest thing is our online operations are up and going. Right now, we’re shipping all over the United States, which has been fun — establishing the internet side of the business,” she said.

Opening a tasting room to the public, however, is proving to be a more time-consuming process.

“We don’t have an official open date. That’s gonna be completely dependent on inspections and getting our certificate of occupancy through the state, but we’re winding down. We’re getting closer,” said Hamilton, adding that she hopes to open by Valentine’s Day.

Hamilton said she believes the tasting room, remodeled from an old barn, will be well worth the wait.

“It looks so neat. It’s got our production facility in there, and then it’s got a big tasting bar for wine coolers. We’ll also have beers on tap.”

Hamilton hopes the winery will be as welcoming to families as it is to wine enthusiasts.

“We will have an outdoor patio and are talking about some fun events that we can hold there — maybe like yoga and wine, some quirky community events,” she said. “We want it to be a fun thing and a family atmosphere, where you can come and enjoy and sit outside and it not feel like a bar.”

Another part of the vineyard awaiting approval from state inspectors is a retail store, which Hamilton said will be stocked with gifts and delectable items from around New Mexico.

“Our hope is that this is going to be a retail store that focuses on local and New Mexico, which is kind of our theme for the vineyard all the way around,” said Hamilton.

A manager has been brought on board for the vineyard, but Hamilton said no other employees have been hired as of yet.

“A lot of it’s gonna be trial and error. We’re just gonna kind of see as we go along,” she said. “We’re looking to hire others, but we’re not really sure, and I think all of the owners will be filling in until we kind of figure it out.”

Hamilton added that the community has been supportive of the venture throughout the lengthy preparation period.

“We’ve yet to have a business that hasn’t been supported by the community. I think that’s why we all still continue to live in Portales and love it; the community’s always spectacular.”