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More than 50 wineries, tastings, food and music will take over the streets of Val’Quirico, Tlaxcala, on October 17 and 18. For those who live in Mexico — and those visiting the country — Aire Tinto also offers a way to explore different Mexican wine regions in a single weekend.
Some wine festivals are all about the tasting. At others, the setting becomes part of the experience. Aire Tinto 2026 belongs to the latter.
On October 17 and 18, the enogastronomic festival will celebrate its fourth edition in Val’Quirico, Tlaxcala, with wineries, tastings, music and experiences spread throughout its streets, tunnels and plazas.
At the press conference attended by Statement, the organizers made their intention clear: rather than building an expo around wine, they want to create a weekend experience where no two routes through the festival need to be the same.
And that distinction matters.
More than 50 wineries and a journey through Mexican wine
The 2026 edition will bring together more than 50 Mexican and international wineries. Confirmed participants include Adobe Guadalupe, L.A. Cetto, Bodegas de Santo Tomás, AltoTinto, Dovinto, Hacienda de Letras, Vinícola San Juanito, Viñedo San Miguel, Vinícola Hasen, RGMX and Vinos LT, alongside producers and importers offering labels from Spain, France, Italy, Chile and Uruguay.
For international visitors, Aire Tinto can also serve as an introduction to Mexico’s wine map. During the press conference, organizers confirmed wines from Baja California, Coahuila, Querétaro, Aguascalientes and San Miguel de Allende, among other regions.
You don’t need to be an expert. In fact, that is part of the idea.
Between glasses, visitors will be able to interact with sommeliers and winemakers, join tastings and discover labels that can also be purchased directly during the festival.
A blind tasting to understand how wine is judged
One of this year’s announced experiences will be connected to the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles and led by Carlos Borboa.
The format takes guests to the other side of a tasting: sampling wines blind, evaluating them and then discovering the labels and scores they received. Rather than proving how much you know about wine, the experience is designed to reveal how a judge observes, tastes and evaluates what is in the glass.
The experience is not entirely new to Aire Tinto — Borboa has participated in previous editions — but it returns this year as one of the activities designed to bring wine culture closer to a broader audience.
Val’Quirico is more than the venue
This is where much of the festival’s character comes from.
Built on land once belonging to the former Santa Águeda hacienda and inspired by Tuscan architecture, Val’Quirico received Mexico’s first Reinos de México distinction in 2023, granted by the country’s Ministry of Tourism.
During Aire Tinto, that setting becomes part of the route itself. Not everything happens in one place: wineries, music, performers and activations are distributed throughout the village, making walking and exploring part of the experience.
“You will always find something different,” one of the organizers explained during the press conference. The idea is to wander through passages and plazas and come across something the rest of your group may not have seen.
For visitors coming from outside Mexico, there is another advantage: instead of traveling between several of the country’s wine regions, the festival brings a selection of them together in Tlaxcala for two days. For those based in Mexico City or Puebla, meanwhile, it works equally well as a day trip or a weekend escape.
Eat, explore and stay in Val’Quirico
Wine is not the entire program.
Val’Quirico has a broad selection of Mexican and international restaurants, as well as cafés, galleries, shops and activities throughout the community. During the press conference, organizers also announced that several restaurants will allow guests to enjoy bottles purchased from participating wineries without a corkage fee. A list of participating restaurants will be released by the festival.
Staying overnight changes the experience. There are lofts and hotels within Val’Quirico, as well as nearby accommodations with which the organizers have established partnerships. From Puebla, organizers estimate a drive of around 35 to 40 minutes; from Mexico City, approximately two hours, depending on the departure point and traffic.
Comfortable shoes, sun protection and something warm for the evening are recommended: much of the festival is explored on foot, over cobblestone streets and outdoors.
The festival is also pet friendly, and guests under 18 can enter free of charge, according to information presented by the organizers.
Three ways to experience Aire Tinto 2026
Tickets for this edition start at MXN $350 for Reserva, including festival admission, a commemorative wine glass, tastings and wine purchases, interaction with sommeliers and winemakers, music and experiences throughout Val’Quirico.
Gran Reserva costs MXN $850 and adds benefits including a dedicated area and access to Saturday’s closing concert, while VIP Casa Aire Tinto, at MXN $1,490, includes exclusive tastings with reservations, a VIP area, food and additional benefits.
Saturday will close with a concert inside Val’Quirico, one of the changes introduced for this edition: the Gran Reserva and VIP areas have been moved into the village itself to keep the festival experience integrated with its surroundings.
Tickets are available through Aire Tinto’s official website.
The statement of Aire Tinto: coming together
Before the press conference ended, Statement asked Diego del Valle one final question: What is the STATEMENT of Aire Tinto 2026?
His answer moved away from the number of wineries, the tastings or the program.
“For me, the STATEMENT of Aire Tinto 2026 is coming together… Connecting, creating these environments where the excuse — whether it’s wine, music or food — allows us to connect, talk and spend time together.”
Perhaps that is the simplest way to understand the festival.
Wine starts the conversation. Val’Quirico sets the scene. The rest happens around the table, walking through the village and discovering the next glass.
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Statement – Alan González S. ©
