Casa Madero, near Parras (Coahuila)

Landmark 7 km north of Parras

The oldest winery in the Americas, founded in 1597 at the Hacienda de San Lorenzo just north of Parras.

Casa Madero occupies the old Hacienda de San Lorenzo, a cluster of stone buildings, walnut trees, and vineyards about 7 kilometers north of Parras. Its story begins in 1597, when Lorenzo García founded the hacienda and started making wine in the valley, which is why the house calls itself the oldest winery in the Americas still working today.

The hacienda later passed to the Madero family, the same family that produced Francisco I. Madero, the president who launched the Mexican Revolution. Today it is one of the biggest wine producers in the country, with more than 350 hectares of vines, and its bottles are easy to find in shops and restaurants across Mexico.

A visit mixes history and wine. Guided tours walk through the cellars where the first Mexican wine was made, past the old copper stills once used for brandy and long rows of oak barrels, and usually finish with a tasting. The grounds also hold a small wine museum, a shop, and a hotel inside the hacienda, so you can stay overnight among the vines.

What to see and do

Take the guided tour of the cellars, copper brandy stills, and barrel rooms.
Taste the wines at the end of the tour or buy bottles at the hacienda shop.
Look around the small wine museum on the grounds.
Walk among the vineyards and walnut trees of San Lorenzo, especially pretty near harvest time in summer.
Spend a night at the hotel inside the hacienda.

Getting there

Casa Madero is about 7 kilometers north of the center of Parras, roughly 15 minutes by car or taxi on the paved road to San Lorenzo. Tours run on a schedule and fill up on weekends and during the August harvest festival, so check times and book ahead.

7 km north of Parras

Directions from Parras on Google Maps

Distances are in a straight line; the road is usually longer.