NEW MEXICO – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) announced the award of a grant to Noisy Water Winery to support the expansion of its production facilities, which supply products to tasting rooms in Albuquerque, Red River, Cloudcroft, Alto and Ruidoso, and wine distribution throughout New Mexico and the United States.
Noisy Water is a native New Mexican company founded by a fifth-generation farming family. In addition to the winery, tasting rooms, and event barn are vineyards in Rincon and Engle. The company also purchases a variety of grapes from growers across the state supporting other family farms.
Financial assistance of US$225,000 from the Local Economic Development Act (LEDA) job creation fund will fund a new facility located on 36 acres in Alto. The expansion will increase bottling production from 35,000 to 100,000 cases annually, expand warehouse space, launch an agritourism program, and implement an employee housing initiative that will help meet local short- and long-term housing needs.
The new investment will create 25 jobs with an average salary of US$42,000 and will bring the workforce to nearly 140 employees. The expansion is expected to have an economic impact of US$56 million over 10 years.
The resilient company has survived revenue declines during the COVID pandemic and the McBride Fire of 2022, which ravaged the mountain communities around Ruidoso. Following the fire, Noisy Water partnered with the National Forest Foundation to donate US$1 from every bottle of Wild White wine sold to a fund to aid restoration in the Lincoln National Forest and collaborated with the NM Winegrowers Association to raise additional money for the Smokey Bear Stewardship Fund.
