Dry as dust is a phrase one might use to describe the Mimbres Valley appellation in southwestern New Mexico. Very much a desert, the entire AVA only receives nine inches of rain per year, with typically hot days and cool nights. Covering upwards of 636,000 acres, the AVA has about 2,000 acres under vine. Drip irrigation is essential for the survival of these vineyards. Yet these vineyards, at elevations of 4,000-6,000 feet above sea level, have one major advantage...they are near the once large Mimbres River, where the soils are very deep, silty, clay-loam and quite porous, with good drainage – ideal for viticulture. Today, the river is merely a stream and dry for most of the year. The area’s winegrowing history reaches back more than a century, and it’s expected that the industry will expand rapidly in coming years.