Crushing It in the Mimbres Valley

Luna Rossa Winery

By Michele Padberg
Photos by Stephanie Cameron

Luna Rossa Winery’s acres of vineyards in Deming.

Las Cruces locals probably know about the fabulous Luna Rossa Winery just a short drive away in the Mimbres Valley. It’s certain that the wine world knows Paolo D’Andrea is there crushing it. Pun intended.

Surrounded by thirty acres of vineyards just west of Deming, the Luna Rossa (red moon) tasting room is bright and friendly, with a courtyard patio and a roomy indoor space full of all kinds of goodies. The wines, made by Paolo and his son Marco, are unpretentious and dripping in medals. There are crisp whites, like the Vermentino with citrus notes and a mineral finish. There are fan favorites, like the Nini (named after Paolo, a nickname in Friuli traditionally given to the youngest child in the family), a blend of seven Italian varietals that never disappoints with its rich ripe fruit and dense yet supple tannins. And then there are stunners like the small-production Negroamaro, a robust, perfumed, bold red. The winery’s list, which also includes familiar French, German, and (obviously) Italian varietals, along with an array of sweet wines, is a treasure trove of palate delights.

As if more than two dozen wines were not enough, the Deming tasting room hosts a weekly pizza night, serving pies from the family-owned and -operated Luna Rossa Winery & Pizzeria in downtown Las Cruces. The pizzeria uses house-made mozzarella and imported Italian “00” flour to make pies baked in ovens fired with pecan tree wood. When I am in Las Cruces, I visit multiple times simply so I can devour all my favorites and get into some gelato (also made in-house) without putting myself in a coma. The Luna Rossa pizza is a unique take on the supreme, with a little bit of everything, and the Prosciutto Crudo shines with the simplicity of high-quality prosciutto, tomato sauce, and mozzarella.

On this day, though, I am not in Las Cruces or Deming. It’s late February, far from this year’s harvest, and I am in Santa Fe for the annual New Mexico Wine Conference. I’m seated across from Paolo and Marco in a side room at the beautiful Eldorado Hotel when Paolo leans in and says, “Do you remember when you were just starting out and you guys would come pick up grapes from me and sleep in the picking bins?” His eyes twinkle with amusement as he sits back and smiles at me, like a proud papa looking at his child finally all grown up. I remember this occurrence well; when we started our winery, we couldn’t even afford a hotel room. I laugh and try to redirect him to my long list of interview questions, but his velvety voice, rich with a thick Italian accent, continues to whisper trade secrets. Paolo has been in the wine industry for his entire life, giving him a wealth of stories that weave together highs and lows that can make you laugh, cry, and even drop your jaw.

It is not only his talent for farming vines but the way Paolo wears his heart on his sleeve, his gentle kindness and his honesty, that define him. He is the type of person who remembers your kids’ names, gifts you a bushel of green chile for no reason, and always greets you with a warm hug. Paolo takes his time as he moves through life, as if enjoying every moment. This is quite a feat seeing as New Mexico Vineyards keeps him incredibly busy supplying grapes to most of the wineries in New Mexico as well as many wineries in Texas, Colorado, and Arizona, while Luna Rossa also produces a whopping seven thousand cases per year. Speaking with Paolo seems to stop time, triggering an intense urge to cancel whatever you were supposed to do that day and simply be in his presence. His wines echo this way of being in the world, asking that you pause and sip slowly.

Paolo was born into a family of winemakers in Friuli, located on the Swiss-Italian border. After pursuing viticulture in college there, he landed an exciting job across the world in southern New Mexico, teaching migrant workers how to graft vines. It was 1986, and the Swiss owners of a large vineyard in Deming brought him over, intending for him to stay only six weeks. Weeks stretched into months and eventually Paolo became the manager of the three-hundred-acre New Mexico Vineyards, settling permanently there. The Swiss company entrusted Paolo with every decision, to run the vineyard as his own, and he brought the enterprise great success, but the truth of it was that he didn’t own it. He knew that his future could easily become endangered should the owners decide to make changes. With a not-so-soft shove from his wife, Sylvia D’Andrea, a tornado of power packed into a petite frame, Paolo planted his own thirty-acre vineyard, also in the Mimbres Valley, then opened his own winery, Luna Rossa, in 2001, sourcing grapes from New Mexico Vineyards until his own vineyard reached maturity. Finally, in 2023, Paolo bought the majority of the vineyard he’d first moved to New Mexico to tend, a total of 146 acres—a romantic bookend to his start.

Speaking of romance: I can’t tell the story of Paolo’s success without including the woman behind the scenes. He met a young Sylvia Gonzales in Las Cruces when he first arrived in the United States. In a story befitting a rom-com meet-cute, Sylvia was the regular waitress at his go-to restaurant. Sitting alone, no doubt twinkling his eyes at her, their friendship blossomed. Sylvia, a New Mexico native, has an intoxicating thirst for life that can make the most driven people feel like they are lumps on a log by comparison. Of course, no romantic story is complete without overcoming some great obstacle. This came when Paolo went to Switzerland to give his annual report to the vineyard owners, returning to find Sylvia married to someone else. Eventually that marriage dissolved, and she and Paolo ignited a romance. Babies, the vineyard, and their winery and tasting room propelled their lives forward, and in 2011, again at Sylvia’s beckoning (and under her leadership), they opened their second tasting room, the Luna Rossa Winery & Pizzeria in Las Cruces.

Marco, the third of four children, has followed in his father’s footsteps to become a winemaker. Graduating from enology school in Italy in 2018, he then returned home to work in the family winery. His gentle yet determined nature comes through when he talks about making wine alongside his father. Paolo says that Marco brings new enthusiasm and technology to the table, something that is evident when Marco reveals the science behind new vintages. New varietals have been added to the list, and Marco has implemented a cascade of updated protocols, yet Luna Rossa stays true to the old-world ideas with which Paolo started. While Paolo and Marco are at the winemaking helm and Sylvia runs the restaurant and tasting room, the entire family is involved in the business, with all hands on deck when the popular pizzeria is packed to the gills, despite the fact that they have busy, independent lives of their own.

Let us raise a glass of Reserve Aglianico, rich with earthy notes, baked pie fruit, and a velvety finish to toast the delightful story of Sylvia and Paolo, which continues to unfold as their children have children and the couple adds to their array of assets. It is hard to not fall in love with Luna Rossa simply by meeting the D’Andrea family. Their support and love for each other mixed with their passion for the family businesses makes you think of seeing life through rose-colored glasses. In this case it is a beautiful life under a radiant red moon.

Deming tasting room: 3710 W Pine St, Deming, 575-544-1160
Winery and Pizzeria: 1321 Avenida de Mesilla, Las Cruces, 575-526-2484, lunarossawinery.com