Jasper Riddle, President and Owner of Noisy Water Winery, has the bona fides to be a winemaker. He told us "I come from a family of fruit farmers and am fifth Generation on my mom’s side of the family who emigrated from Italy. I got my love for wine from my dad who was a sommelier and appreciated the delicate intricacies of wine."
The winery started in 2009 in the mountains of Ruidoso with a small four person team and production. Now they have about 150 employees and farm more than ten different vineyards around New Mexico, as well as two of their own in Engle and Rincon. Noisy Water has six tasting rooms in New Mexico including locations in Ruidoso, Alto, Albuquerque, Cloudcroft, and Red River.
A recent visit to the tasting room in Old Town Albuquerque found it to be a really spacious and airy place. It’s very inviting with over-stuffed chairs and a lot of local art, and it is a great place to socialize and meet up with friends. They offer small bites and charcuterie, as well as a selection of gourmet items: olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and cheeses.
The tasting rooms offer events like tours and private tastings to create a community around their products. They have a Taste of New Mexico Wine Club that ships members a half case from their cellar quarterly.
Noisy Water has an impressive variety of wines. Jasper told us, “We work with over 50 different varietals at the winery, and make over 60 different wines. Some will be very familiar to most drinkers like Cabernet, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir, but we also work with lesser known varietals like Aglianico, Chambourcin and Montepulciano.”
A big part of Noisy Waters Winery’s approach to winemaking is both sustainable farming and using New Mexico sources for their craft. Jasper is very committed to conscientious use of water resources...an important practice for growing fruit in the desert. He said, “We focus on New Mexico first and make sure all the fruit in the state is purchased and used before looking anywhere else. It is important for us to grow the wine industry here sustainably and be stewards of the land, by taking care of our soil and water.”
Jasper explained his company philosophy as “ To make a showcase of New Mexico in the bottle. We take our craft seriously, but not much else. We believe that people drink wine for fun, not for status or prestige. Anyone is welcome when coming to a Noisy Water Tasting room, whether they have never had wine, are a novice or an expert, we've got a place for everyone.”
Details about their various locations and offerings can be found on their website: https://www.noisywaterwinery.com/
