Raicilla Monte Marea stood out among the Mexican spirits featured by the Mexican delegation at the Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026 international festival.
Last Sunday, in Turin, Raicilla Ancestral Monte Marea took center stage and hosted a tasting event with Mexican agave and sotol spirits. This sensory experience for international guests started with an exhibition highlighting the cultural importance of agave and sotol plants, to the pre-Columbian peoples of Aridoamerica and Mesoamerica. Furthermore, tasting participants learned about the various Denominations of Origin and the material and cultural foundations of these Mexican agave and sotol spirits.
Appreciating these spirits involves multiple layers of complexity perception; during the tasting, Raicilla Monte Marea delighted attendees with aromas and flavors evoking both the mountains and the sea, all presented in elegant bottles with understated labels that reflect the authenticity of traditional raicilla. The raicilla production region lies between the Sierra Madre Occidental and the Pacific coast, spanning parts of Jalisco and Nayarit, in México. Raicilla production utilizes wild agaves growing on the hillsides, and the Raicilla Denomination of Origin is based on the criteria set forth in the draft Mexican standard PROY-NOM-257-SE-2021.
Traditional distiller (called Tabernera), Domitila Anaya Topete and her daughter Elda carry on the family legacy of traditional Raicilla production in Jalisco. Domitila is partnered with entrepreneur and filmmaker Isabel Cristina Fregoso on the Raicilla Ancestral Monte Marea venture.
Domitila and Isabel acknowledge that, even in the 21st. century, male values and symbols—along with a predominance of male master distillers (Taberneros)—still dominate the traditional Raicilla production sector. However, confident in their own abilities and expertise, both women work tirelessly to ensure the success of Raicilla Ancestral Monte Marea; Domitila has mastered the art of distillation and takes pride in the exceptional quality of her product. Their synergy with Isabel creates mutual benefits, allowing Domitila to tend to her home and family and remain active in her community, while Isabel takes the brand global—showcasing it at venues like Slow Food International and marketing the spirit in Europe.
Raicilla Ancestral Monte Marea received in 2022 its first major accolade, winning a Silver Medal at the *México Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles* competition.
Raicilla Ancestral Monte Marea already has a presence in France, and through its notable participation in Terra Madre Salone del Gusto 2026, it is now winning over the palates of Italian consumers.
