The exterior of Elly’s in Colonia Juárez. Residents of the city can now even get natural wine delivered directly to their abode through online shops like Salvaje Vinos, or attend Maldonado’s pop-up natural wine festival, Volver Volver, to scope out the latest varietals. There’s the cozy Vigneron wine bar in Colonia Roma, while just a few blocks away is Hugo El Wine Bar on the border of Roma Norte and Condesa, where a daily rotation of five natural wines is offered by the glass. There are the Colonia Juárez spots like Mediterranean eatery and natural wine bar Elly’s, where owner Andrés Herran spins his rare collection of vinyl records, and Masala y Maiz, where chef-owners Norma Listman and Saqib Keval prepare dishes inspired by the cultures of Mexico, India, and East Africa, all paired with natural wine. There’s Café Sismo in Colonia Centro, a Nazas-esque natural wine party by Lucas Cantú and Carlos Matos, the founders of the architecture studio Tezontle. Today, there are plenty of locales to imbibe natural wine, both old and new-and the trend is showing no signs of slowing. And you had to be invited to know the unmarked location, which only added to its mystique.Ī dining table at Caíman in Condesa. Nearly every interesting artist, chef, designer, and scenester went. At this weekly clandestine party, bottles were ordered and poured by the gallon. While today, Mexico City’s reputation as a natural wine capital is indisputable, it’s not a stretch to say Nazas played a pivotal role in spreading the word. When I moved to Mexico City five years ago, Nazas was my introduction to the capital’s natural wine scene, which was booming even then. Delicately navigating the uneven sidewalk, I’d say my hellos then barrel into the bundle of sweaty bodies inside, dancing well into the morning courtesy of a DJ spinning old-school Cumbia on vinyl.

Without fail, there would be a crowd of cool kids assembled curbside, smoking cigarettes and swirling glasses-not mezcal, nor tequila, but natural wine. Walking along Calle Bucareli with a group of friends, I’d soon arrive at the spot: an unmarked concrete garage at the foot of an office building, the official-unofficial location of Nazas. On any given Thursday evening in 2019, you’d likely find me drifting down a dimly lit street on the border of Mexico City’s Centro Histórico and Colonia Juárez neighborhoods.

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