Maryam Hariri: Azizam Wines
Comom’ti-pa (Cochimi) land - Baja California, Mexico
Azizam Wines – founded in 2022 by Maryam Hariri, climate-change policymaker turned climate-adaptive winemaker – is a project of the soul (Azizam: meaning “darling” in farsi). After 4 years of honing in on her craft at Bichi Wines in Baja, Maryam launched her own label to focus on climate-adaptive grapes and uniquely Mexican varietals, such as Mission, Rosa Del Peru and Palomino. The grapes are dry-farmed, resulting in deeper roots, richer flavors, and a minimal environmental output; they’re adapted to rising temperatures, heatwaves, and droughts.
Azizam’s energy stems from its authenticity, in vision and practice. Maryam takes care in sourcing her grapes from small, sustainable farms and old vines, utilizing ancient winemaking practices such as hand destemming and fermentation in concrete tinajas and lagars with only wild yeast and spontaneous fermentation.
Social Justice and Environmental Restoration Statement
Azizam Wines is a woman-owned natural winery, creating a new wine(making) culture: featuring sustainable producers, varietals, and farming methods, while investing in the next generation of women winemakers. Maryam strives to challenge, contradict and decolonize the conventional perception of a winemaker – to create a new norm, so that we can finally drop the ‘woman’ before ‘winemaker’.