By David Landis, The Gay Gourmet, with generous help from Jaime Salas, the Head of Cuervo Legacy & Advocacy at Próximo Spirits
Margaritas and tequila shots are a popular way to imbibe in our LGBTQ+ community. Tequila and its sister spirits, mezcal and raicilla, have long been Gay Gourmet favorites. But how much do we really know about harvesting agave, the plant that provides the flavor of tequila? And how is that different from the wine country harvests that we’re more familiar with here in California?
After visiting Puerto Vallarta for many years and seeing some of these agave farms up close, I decided to go to the source. I asked Jaime Salas, a legacy and advocacy expert from Cuervo (the “tequila that invented tequila”), to enlighten us. Here’s what he had to say.
David Landis: How do agave harvests differ from wine country harvests?
Jaime Salas: As Napa vintners assess grape readiness this fall, another harvest unfolds 2,000 miles south in Tequila, Mexico. There, skilled jimadores (farmers who harvest agave) read the readiness of Blue Weber agave plants through generations of inherited knowledge and intuition.
While Bay Area wine enthusiasts can discuss vintage variations and terroir for their favorite wines, many remain unfamiliar with the generational craftsmanship behind tequila: the very same spirit that has outpaced wine sales for two consecutive years [see this report: https://bit.ly/3Id2fzl ]. While the agricultural and production artistry behind tequila is not as well-known as wine, the parallels and differences between these harvests reveal agave cultivation as one of the world’s most patient agricultural practices.
Where grape cultivation rewards vintners annually, Blue Weber agave demands a different relationship with time. Each agave plant requires a minimum of five years to mature. Unlike annual grape harvests, each agave is harvested only once, a single moment of culmination after years of careful tending. This extended timeline creates a unique agricultural philosophy. When an agave is planted today, current weather patterns can impact harvest years in the future.
Like wine, terroir also generally plays a role in shaping flavor. Jalisco’s two main agave-growing regions can create different characteristics. The highlands (Los Altos) sit approximately 7,500 feet above sea level, where cooler temperatures and soil composition may produce tequilas with floral and fruity characteristics. Meanwhile, the Tequila Valley (though often called “lowland,” it actually sits at nearly 4,000 feet) offers a warmer, drier climate that can produce tequilas with more earthy and herbal flavors. This regional variation mirrors wine appellations, but with a key difference: the commitment required to experiment with terroir spans decades, not seasons.
David Landis: Tell us a bit about tequila’s history.
Jaime Salas: This harvest story begins long before California’s first commercial vineyards. In 1795, José Cuervo received the first license to distill tequila, establishing an entire industry. By 1812, the La Rojeña distillery was operating in the heart of Tequila town. Today, it remains the oldest operational distillery in Latin America, predating California’s wine industry by over a century.
This historical depth represents something both wine and tequila share: unbroken generational knowledge. Like the wine families of Napa and Sonoma, the Beckmann family, now in their 11th generation of tequila production, has been perfecting this craft through decades of technological advancement and innovation. Workers at La Rojeña often span multiple generations, with families teaching kin the skills of tequila harvest and production.
David Landis: What role does tradition play in tequila production?
Jaime Salas: Walk through La Rojeña today and you’ll encounter the same brick ovens from 1812. This commitment to preserving traditional methods while embracing necessary innovations mirrors the philosophy found in California’s most respected wine estates, where modern technology serves ancient wisdom, rather than replacing it.
Perhaps nowhere is this balance more evident than with Reserva de la Familia, the crown jewel of the Cuervo family, which recently achieved certified organic status. For agave, organic certification presents unique challenges that annual crops don’t face. The lengthy growing cycle means that transitioning to organic practices requires patience and planning. Decisions made today won’t be fully realized for nearly a decade.
Certified organic agave requires managing fertilization, soil health, pest control, and plant nutrition through natural methods across multiple weather cycles and changing agricultural conditions. The estate-grown agave used for Reserva de la Familia allows for complete control of this process, from planting to distillation.
David Landis: How does sustainability enter the picture?
Jaime Salas: Like the organic wine movement that transformed California viticulture, organic agave production represents a forward-thinking approach to sustainability. This careful attention translates directly into deeper, more nuanced agave character that showcases the plant’s natural complexity in the liquid.
Just as wine regions produce distinct varietals, different Mexican states create unique agave spirits, each governed by specific appellations of origin. Understanding this spectrum helps show tequila’s place in the broader agave world.
Tequila occupies a highly regulated space: only Blue Weber agave can be used, grown in specific regions (primarily Jalisco), and made using approved production methods. This creates consistency and recognizable flavor profiles, similar to regulations for Champagne.
Mezcal, primarily from Oaxaca, represents a wilder side of agave. Produced from over thirty agave varieties, mezcal embraces variation. Traditional underground pit roasting using volcanic rocks heated by wood fires imparts the distinctive smoky character. Where tequila seeks consistency, mezcal celebrates unpredictability.
Raicilla, Jalisco’s other agave spirit, offers something entirely different. Often employing clay pot distillation, raicilla creates earthy, mineral-rich spirits that vary dramatically from producer to producer.
These production methods create vastly different flavor experiences. Tequila’s steam cooking in brick ovens or efficient diffuser systems produces agave-forward spirits. Mezcal’s underground roasting creates smoky complexity. Raicilla’s clay pot distillation often yields rustic spirits that reflect their terroir in ways very different from steel or copper pot methods.
David Landis: How do you recommend drinking tequila?
Jaime Salas: For wine enthusiasts exploring tequila, the approach shares familiar principles with some technical adjustments. Like wine, proper glassware matters, but instead of wine glasses, agave spirits shine in narrow, tulip-shaped glasses that concentrate aromatics and focus the spirit’s complex bouquet.
Aging categories parallel wine’s complexity. Blanco tequilas, often completely unaged, showcase agave character with bright, sometimes peppery notes. Some brands, like Reserva de la Familia Platino, make these tequilas with only three ingredients: agave, water, and yeast. Reposado expressions, aged at least two months, develop subtle wood influences. Añejo tequilas, aged one to three years, develop rich vanilla and caramel notes from extended barrel contact. Extra Añejo expressions, aged three years or more, achieve the complexity and sophistication of fine aged spirits, meant for sipping.
Like wine, barrel selection influences final flavor. American oak imparts different characteristics than French oak, and finishing barrels add unique complexity that creates signature flavor profiles.
David Landis: Any other thoughts?
Jaime Salas: The next time you order tequila at your favorite Bay Area restaurant, consider the decades of cultivation and centuries of tradition concentrated in that glass. Like how understanding wine enhances appreciation for viticulture’s artistry, learning about tequila connects us to one of Mexico’s most sophisticated crafts.
As this season’s grape harvest celebrates the annual cycle of renewal and reward, the agave harvest represents something equally profound: the patience to work across decades, the wisdom to preserve traditional knowledge, and the vision to plan for generations to come. There’s something deeply satisfying about supporting an industry that thinks in decades and measures success across generations. The question isn’t whether agave spirits deserve a place alongside wine in our cultural appreciation; it’s whether we’re curious enough to discover what we’ve been missing.
To learn more about tequila production, visit: https://tequilafacts.org/
Cuervo: https://cuervo.com/
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. You can email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com
Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
Post updated on September 27, 2025
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