Cuatro Sierras

The house

Editorial review · reviewed on October 11, 2026

Four mountains enclose a valley in northeastern Sonora, between Cananea and Agua Prieta, ringed by the Sierra de los Ajos, San José, La Mariquita, and Sierra Vista. They give Cuatro Sierras its name, the 4S brand of Uvas de Altura, a company that decided to plant wine grapes in a land of copper mines and freezing winters.

The partnership formed in 2008, when a group of Sonoran business owners joined to grow vines. Years of trials with varieties and rootstocks followed before the commercial vineyard was planted in 2013, and the first wine production came in 2015. Alfredo Valenzuela Salazar has led the winemaking and also coordinates the company, according to the state press.

The vineyard covers more than 60 acres (25 hectares) at an elevation of about 4,800 to 4,900 ft (1,460 to 1,500 m), with twelve varieties. Among the whites are Chardonnay and Verdejo, and among the reds Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Tempranillo, Grenache, Carignan, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot, Carménère, and Touriga Nacional. The Cananea press has reported that the plants withstand frosts there of down to 16°F (9 degrees below zero Celsius).

In 2024 the house celebrated its tenth harvest. It makes two lines, 4S, of Reserva reds of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon, and UVAL, the young line it launched in 2019 with Grenache, Chardonnay, and a red blend. The vineyard is toured with a guide and a tasting, by reservation, and is near Naco, on the border with Arizona.