Wine company receives support to expand production in NM
NEW MEXICO – The New Mexico Economic Development Department (EDD) has awarded US$50,000 from the LEDA job creation fund to Enchantment Vineyards, a family-owned and operated Portales wine company. The funds will be used to expand the company’s facilities and double annual production.
Enchantment Vineyards was founded in 2016 by Megan and Bobby Hamilton, who planted five acres of grapes after visiting California’s Napa Valley wine region. The company currently produces 2,000 cases of wine per year, with sales through a wine club, on-site purchases and a tasting room.
With the help of LEDA funds, Enchantment Vineyards will be able to move wine production in-house and produce up to 5,000 cases per year. The expansion will create seven permanent jobs.
“The investment from EDD’s LEDA fund will boost a small, family-owned business in a rural community,” said Acting Cabinet Secretary Jon Clark. “This will help sustain year-round employment and diversify Roosevelt County’s agricultural economy.”
The company currently employs part-time and seasonal workers, mostly students from Eastern New Mexico University and spouses from Cannon Air Force Base. The new investment will create seven permanent jobs.
“Our dream is to bring world-class wine to eastern New Mexico,” said Megan Hamilton, co-founder of Enchantment Vineyards. “When we traveled to the Napa Valley, we saw these long-established family-owned wineries and vineyards and sensed how a business like that could really enhance the Portales economy.”
Hamilton added that eastern New Mexico has a unique climate that can sustain the wine industry. “The famous eastern New Mexico wind is the real magic,” Hamilton said. “We don’t have problems with fungus or mold control because of the wind, plus we have warm days and cool nights and that’s the recipe. We don’t get as much tonnage as we do in places with more fertile soils, but the grapes are really exceptional.”
The City of Portales is the fiscal agent for the LEDA funds. “Enchantment Vineyards’ planned expansion program will be a prodigious opportunity for the community,” said City Manager Sarah Austin. “It allows them the ability to bring their production locally, which is important to our city.”