Photography by Kelsey Shoemaker.
One of Texas’ first Mexican wine shops sits at the corner of Jefferson and Polk Street in Oak Cliff, occupying just a 330-square-foot space. But to Arturo Flores and Eduardo Mendoza, it’s much bigger.
The friends met while working at Meso Maya. Flores was working there while studying to become a mechanical engineer while Mendoza continued his career in hospitality and retail. They found that they shared an interest in Mexican wine, and decided to team up as business partners.
“I had always seen that he had the right mentality, and it was just an instant spark,” Mendoza says of Flores. “We just clicked, and I’ve been with him through his whole journey from Austin, to college, to this.”
With the desire to share a lesser-known part of their culture, they tossed around the idea of planting a vineyard in Mexico, but found that to be a bit too ambitious. From there, the idea for Vinito was established, and they hit the ground running.
Although Flores and Mendoza didn’t have experience as business owners, they began building relationships with winemakers, importers, and distributors and remained undeterred despite the scarcity of Mexican wines.
“Throughout that time, we made a lot of phone calls, and we would say ‘I want to showcase your bottles in the U.S.,’” Flores says. “It was a bunch of no’s, but I say you have to go through 20 no’s to get your first yes. Luckily, they saw the vision we had and that nobody else was doing it. It’s the authenticity. We’re not trying to be something we’re not.”
Mendoza was born and raised in Dallas and has seen the city and community grow throughout the years.
“Whatever we do, it has to be here. It has to be here in the heart of Texas,” Mendoza says. “We never lost the dream we had. We made a lot of phone calls, connected with some people, and in the mix of that, I was also trying to look for a location.”
Just over 40% of the Dallas population identifies as Hispanic or Latino, and Oak Cliff in particular has a large Hispanic population, making it a perfect spot to open the shop.
“Half of the Dallas Hispanic population is here in Oak Cliff — there was no better place than here,” Mendoza says. “I found this little location, and we checked it out. It’s only 300 square feet, but to us, it’s bigger than that.”
Vinito opened last October with 130 labels for sale, and has opened the door for conversations about a widely unknown aspect of Hispanic culture.
“Mexico is not really known for their wine. I want to teach people why Mexican wine is important,” Flores says. “People don’t know that, going back through history, the first vineyard was planted in Mexico in 1597. The community behind the Mexican wine culture, they are so connected. They develop a family. And when they started seeing that there’s two guys in Texas doing something like this, that’s when they started reaching out.”
Factors such as soil type and climate give a specific wine its own flavor, body, and aroma. Some of the red wines have notes of hibiscus, some have hints of chile de árbol, and some are spicy. There are also natural wines and native Mexican grapes, such as Rosa del Peru.
Flores and Mendoza seek to make Vinito a warm and welcoming place for locals, regardless of their
knowledge of wine or their budget. During the pandemic, Flores studied for the certified sommelier examination from the Court of Master Sommeliers and achieved a level-one certification, allowing himself to pass on his knowledge to his customers.
“You come in here, and you actually get to speak to Hispanics,” Mendoza says. “We try not to make it intimidating for the pricing, and a lot of Hispanics will come in here and they’re interested, but they’re intimidated because they don’t know about it, and that’s where the education comes into play.”
The pair have been able to see their impact firsthand, making all the roadblocks they had to overcome worth it.
“I think one of my proudest moments I had was back during the holidays. That’s where I saw it being implemented, and saw why it’s so important to have a place like this in Oak Cliff,” Flores says. “Throughout the holidays, I saw this period of gifting. (Sons and daughters) would come in and ask what we recommend, because they are buying for their parents.”
Flores said the feeling of gifting a family member or loved one a bottle from their home state is special, and he is proud to be a part of spreading this side of their culture.
“I knew I had to make a difference somehow. It may start off small, but this will eventually get better down the road,” Flores says. “This is just a little seed that’s been planted and will continue growing.”
August marks 10 months since Vinito’s opening.
“Every month, we have to celebrate,” Mendoza says. ”This is an accomplishment. Especially nowadays, we didn’t think we were gonna be here that long. The whole purpose of this is to showcase. We don’t want to get rich off of this. When you come in here, it’s not about getting drunk, it’s about a memory you’re going to create.”
