Dworsky found the success potential of the Petit Verdot grape in this region to be quite intriguing, so he made the decision to initiate a planting of the exotic varietal despite the fact it was his first attempt at wine production. Some may have thought of this as taking an unnecessary risk.

Nonetheless, some four years after his first bottling, Dworsky's dense and velvety smooth Petit Verdot, 'Merengue', neatly snatched a gold medal at the 2012 Concurso Internacional Wine Expo and Competition that was recently held at Ensenada's Hotel Coral.

This win was particularly noteworthy, since it was the first time at the annual event a regional gold medal of this nature had been won by someone who was not a Mexican producer in the area.

To many, this turn of events has also marked the beginning of a new era when a fresh input of ideas an strategies will help to further enhance the reputation of Baja's wine country on a global scale. Dworsky's fledgling boutique wine, 'Bodegas Marilena', also enjoyed a bronze medal win at a Long Beach wine competition a little over a year ago, and they look forward to even greater success in years to come.

As a non-fluent Spanish speaking American living and producing wine in Mexico, he has certainly encountered his share of challenges on the road to success; mostly involving the language barrier, government red tape and occasional water issues in this arid locale. But it is not necessarily the promise of more medals that fuels his passion.

"The goal is not to get big." Dworsky insists. "The goal is not to make a ton of money; the goal is not to have 10 different wines in our line. I want to be very specific and very direct. I just want to make some great new wines for the Mexican market."

And in that regard, he has already succeeded.

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