September 2026 Wine Club
Click above to enjoy September’s playlist
Jet Wine Club, September 2026
As you know, I love wine, I love history, and I love to put them together. That is an easy task for this month because the theme is World Heritage!
Before we dive into the bottles, a quick piece of trivia: Philadelphia’s status as a “World Heritage City” was awarded in 2015 by the Organization of World Heritage Cities (OWHC). While distinct from UNESCO, the OWHC is a network of cities that house UNESCO World Heritage sites within their borders. Philly earned its title thanks to Independence Hall. All World Heritage cities host UNESCO sites, but not all UNESCO sites are in cities, nor is every historic site granted UNESCO status. Earning that spot comes with privilege and bragging rights, but also with responsibility to protect these places of "Outstanding Universal Value."
This month’s wines connect to two amazing cultural-heritage landscapes.
Northern Baja California, Mexico: Ancient Solstices & Modern Gastronomy
Mexico boasts 36 UNESCO World Heritage sites, from the Monarch Butterfly preserve outside of Mexico City to ancient Mayan monuments. Further north, near La Rumorosa in Baja California, lies El Vallecito—a 3,000-year-old site of indigenous rock art and petroglyphs. Unlike the well-known and well-preserved group of rock paintings further south in the Sierra de San Francisco, El Vallecito *does not* have World Heritage status. But it should! Its most famous feature is the cave with El Diablito. At sunrise around the winter solstice – and only then, the figures in the El Diablito paintings slowly become drenched in light, before the light passes out again. Because of this, it is recognized as an archaeo-astrological site that was a space for ritual surrounding the solar calendar. These paintings were made about 3000 years ago by the Kumiai people, whose modern descendants still range over the same lands from San Diego (CA) down to Santo Tomás (MX).
Toward the southern end of that range is the city of Ensenada, which does carry a World Heritage title; it is a UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy. An important consideration in this title is the fact that some 90% of Mexican wine is produced in the Ensenada region. The surge in tourism and commercial production has been an economic boon to Kumiai communities, who participate in touristic activities and also supply seasonal labor for grape harvests and wine production.
The Wine: Casa Miramar Blanc de Noir Grenache, Valle de Guadalupe Mexico
The range of the Kumiai overlaps with that of the Valle de Guadalupe wine region of Baja, which is located in the municipality of Ensenada. Santo Tomas marks the Southern end of the Kumiai range, and the Bodegas de Santo Tomas is one of Mexico’s oldest wineries, operating since 1888. The Casa Miramar project is a collaboration between that venerable estate and Lulu Martínez Ojeda—one of Mexico’s modern winemaking stars.
The wine is made with 100% grenache noir, sustainably grown. It is a “blanc de noir” because the red, grenache grape is vinified as a white wine, with no skin contact. Vinification and resting are done in stainless.
The wine has aromas of red apples, chapparal, and melon. The mouth is crisp with lemon zest and a hint of grapefruit, and has a saline finish. Perfect with an aguachile!
The Lisbon region of Portugal: Romanticism & Century-Old Vines
North and West of Lisbon is the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sintra. Its history has intrigue, insanity, and Cleopatra-and-Anthony-style romantic shenanigans in which the whole municipality was “gifted” out of the royal dynasty. But, that is not why Sintra is a World Heritage City. The town’s historic center is celebrated as the birthplace of 19th-century European Romantic architecture. That style - and the landscape architecture of sprawling, meandering green spaces with exotic plants, mixed species, and fake ruins that it spawned - were very different expressions of the built landscape than those known previously. Built spaces went from straight edged to irregular, from formal to natural, and from rigid symmetry to emotionally evocative. Sintra was once the favorite eden of poet Lord Byron. But, the most famous of its buildings – the Pena Palace - was finished after his death. Ferdinand, king consort of Maria II, had it built over the earthquake-damaged remains of a monastery.
It wasn’t until ca 1920 that Sintra formed associations to preserve its heritage, but today the “romantic cultural landscape of Sintra” draws tons of tourists and has helped make it one of the most densely populated and wealthiest places in Portugal.
The Wine: Pegos Claros Castelão, Palmela DOC Spain
Herdades Pegos Claros dates to roughly the same time that Sintra began protecting its heritage – ca 1920. The 100% dry-farmed Castelão grapes for the wine come from Palmela, about 70 km from Sintra, and these also date to roughly 1920. The Palmela region is defined by its sandy soils, which are perfect for Castelão. The 100 year-old manually-harvested grapes are fermented in traditional cement lagares before aging partly in barrel.
The wine is expressive, complex, medium-bodied, and full of character. Expect notes of roasted nuts and rutabaga, tobacco leaf, and a rustic garrigue of fennel and thyme.
It is said to pair brilliantly with the regional classic, choco frito (fried cuttlefish). Give it a try!
Cheers to history, and we’ll continue this World Heritage Wine Crawl on September 16th. Get your tasting tickets before they sell out!