Mezcal Spotlight: Tenerías 2 And The World Of Marcelo Castro Vera

By Jonathan Lockwood

Some people fall into mezcal by accident. Others follow a winding path. Marcelo Castro Vera is somewhere in the middle. At 43 he has been a hotel man, a mezcal maker and a distiller of all kinds of things that catch his interest. None of it comes from a desire to scale up or build something large. He simply follows what he enjoys, and each project finds its own shape at its own pace. Marcelo studied hospitality management in Switzerland. That’s where he met his wife, Mukasha, who’s from Uzbekistan. After returning to México he spent years working in hotels, the kind of work that teaches you how to read people, solve problems and keep things steady even when nothing feels steady at all. Like most Mexicans of his generation he grew up with tequila. Mezcal arrived later. In his early twenties he recalls a few Jabalís and Tepextates that wowed him. Then about twelve years ago he had the idea that he could make it himself.

His family had land in San Felipe in western Guanajuato. They had agaves on the property. They had wood, although they never cut down trees. The family only gathers fallen branches from the forest surrounding the property. They had a spring. And he uses that spring source water for every batch. So… agaves, water, wood. In other words, a palenque waiting to happen.

So he built one. Not the typical Guanajuato setup, but something closer to what you find in Oaxaca, including an in-ground horno (oven). The first batch, he admits, was not spectacular. What mattered is that he learned. The second and third distillations were better. After that the quality jumped quickly.

Today those distillations carry the name Penca y Piedra, the small-batch brand he produces on the family land in San Felipe. Once that door opened he didn’t stop at mezcal. He began distilling pulque. Then grappa. Then spirits made from tuna, the prickly pear fruit sprouting from the nopal cacti that blanket the region. His experiments followed whatever caught his attention. Around the same time he became interested in natural wine. Organic grapes. Native yeasts. Minimal intervention. Wines that are alive and occasionally unruly. There is no strict definition, but the spirit of it is simple. Let the place speak.

Several years ago a group of friends joined Cecilia and me for a visit to the family ranch in San Felipe. It is also the site of El Nidal, Marcelo’s container hotel, which has become a favorite among motorcycle travelers and a mix of other visitors. We toured the property, tasted mezcal and his assorted spirits and watched the afternoon slide down into evening. It was a long, easy day, the kind that settles in without effort.

In recent years Marcelo and his family opened a tasting room right in centro at Tenerías 2. Cecilia and I went to a Full Experience popup a few months back. A local chef prepared a stunning spread of mouthwatering food. The natural wines were flowing. The mezcales were generous. The room itself felt like an extension of Marcelo’s mind. Open doors. Open bottles. A space arranged for people to kick back and enjoy whatever was in their glass. They host formal tastings by reservation, and have a steady stream of walk-ins. During the hour I spent talking with Marcelo, two different parties stepped inside to look around and ask about the space. Some visitors book tastings. Others simply stop in, take it in, buy something and plan to return. The door rarely stays quiet for long. Inside you’ll find a mix of textiles and handmade work created by Mukasha. Bottles of mezcal. An impressive collection of natural wines. It’s eclectic, but it fits. Marcelo’s Espadín is outstanding, clean and balanced. He also makes mezcales from two Guanajuato agaves that deserve your attention: Salmiana and Cenizo. Both reflect their land clearly. Both remind you that our state has more to offer than most people realize. Tenerías 2 feels like a living project. Part tasting room. Part gallery. Part gathering spot. A small corner of Centro where mezcal, wine and handmade craft sit comfortably together and reflect the way Marcelo and his family approach their work.

If you find yourself wandering the narrow stretch of Tenerías, step inside. Let Marcelo pour you something from San Felipe. It is a simple pleasure worth seeking out.

Jonathan Lockwood is a Mezcal lover, explorer, and collector and writes the Mezcal Maniac Substack. mezcalmaniac.substack.com