CORPORATE PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Vivác Winery

Cultivating Local Flavor

Since the easing of the pandemic, many members of the Museum of New Mexico Foundation have reported what they missed most about normal life during the shutdown. Number one on the list? A nice glass of wine at an exhibition opening reception.

That’s one of many reasons why the connection between Vivác Winery and the Foundation makes perfect sense. A member since 2019, the Dixon winery is a Corporate Partner at the $5,000 level.

Brothers Chris and Jesse Padberg were born and raised on an apple farm in Dixon. They began learning the craft of winemaking in the late 1990s, securing the Vivác Winery license in 1998. By the time they opened their first tasting room in 2003, the operation had become a true family affair. Chris’ wife Liliana, who hails from Aguascalientes, Mexico, and Jesse’s wife Michele, who grew up in Taos, are co-owners and sommeliers.

According to Michele Padberg, the shared ethos between the Foundation and Vivác is a marriage of true minds. Both organizations value the metaphorical idea of terroir, or the natural characteristics and flavors a natural environment imparts to a wine. In the Foundation’s case, says Padberg, its passion for elevating and showcasing homegrown New Mexican culture is its own terroir.

“So many museums are focused on the marketing of their space, and not as much about what they’re showing,” she says. “But the Foundation is facilitating the backdrop for putting something forward, and each museum show is so beautifully unique and curated. That’s how we handle our wines as well, as part of a meal, part of an experience.” Vivác focuses its attention on supporting causes, ideas, cultural institutions and crops that belong to New Mexico. “Because we were born and raised here, a lot of what we want to do is connect with other companies that are highlighting what New Mexico can do,” says Padberg.

Vivác has more than proven its New Mexico moxie, repeatedly winning international wine competitions and causing renowned Wine Spectator critic James Suckling to remark that Vivác’s refosco is “excellent and on the same level as the best of Friuli.”

“This state has its own personality. We try to incorporate that into our wines, and hopefully that reflects in what you taste,” says Padberg. “When we have an opportunity to partner with someone like the Foundation, it’s such a wonderful reflection of all of that history.”

For information on becoming a Corporate Partner, contact Mariann Lovato at Mariann@museumfoundation.org or 505.216.0849.

Above: Launched in Dixon in 1998, the award-winning Vivác winery is a family affair. Photo courtesy Vivác Winery.