Somos, meaning “we are” in Spanish, is the vision of Mauricio Ruiz Cantú, the only Mexican producer (making South Australian wines with alternative & southern French and Italian varieties) in the Vine Street book. It all started back in Mauricio’s homeland, when he, at age 19, caught the wine bug and did a vintage stint in an old winery in northern Mexico. There, he received a piece of advice from the winery’s owner. “If you really want to learn how to grow grapes and make wine under the conditions of Northern Mexico, you first need to learn how to make wine in Australia.” After all, Mexico’s climate being hot and dry would be best suited to practices that have been perfected by South Australians for decades.

Without further ado, he enrolled at Adelaide University for Viticulture and Oenology degree in 2010. Following graduation, Mauricio returned to his native Mexico with a small shipment of Barossa Shiraz he made for fun and named it Juguette, a Spanish word for “toy.” He thought it’d be a casual project, selling a few bottles to friends and family to fund his trip home. But the wine took off. In just a few years, Juguette went from a 150-case hobby to 15,000 cases and became one of the most respected Aussie brands in Mexico.

In 2015, craving a creative outlet, Mauricio launched Somos, a project whose wines are radically different than Jugette (think light, fresh, & food friendly vs. big, bold, old-school Aussie style). He stayed in McLaren Vale after his degree and became inspired by the ethos of winemakers in South Australia who experiment with alternative varieties and minimal intervention winemaking. Inspired by the fresh, vibrant foods of Baja, his Somos wines burst with energy, precision, and personality. Somos is all about wines that feel familiar yet push boundaries — it’s a brand deeply rooted in South Australia but infused with Latin American soul. In just a few years, Somos has earned a name for itself, quickly rising through the ranks of Australia’s top new producers; Somos was a finalist for the Young Gun of Wine’s winemaker awards in 2020, 2021, and 2023. It’s safe to say that Mauricio is just getting started.