The highlands around San Juan del Río have a temperate climate that supports viticulture — one of the newer wine-producing regions in Mexico, growing in reputation over the past two decades. Several haciendas and boutique wineries in the surrounding hills produce wines from local and international grape varieties, with an emphasis on white wines that benefit from the altitude and cool nights.
A few vineyards offer tastings and tours, particularly during the October harvest. The wines are variable in quality but improving, and the settings — old haciendas surrounded by vine rows with the hills behind — are attractive. This is not Baja wine country in terms of scale or infrastructure, but if you are passing through and interested in Mexican viticulture, an afternoon visit to one of the nearby estates is worthwhile.