Hidden Tap: A hidden gem in Midtown.

Less than half a block away from Midtown in Ruidoso, below a well-established business at the corner of Sudderth and Eagle Drives, there sits a hangout that extremely popular with the locals. It’s called the Hidden Tap, and it’s the best place to go if you want 100 percent New Mexican beer or wine.

“We started it as a tasting room, but from day one, the locals wanted a tap room,” said Hidden Tap owner Jasper Riddle. “I was amazed at how many craft beer connoisseurs there are in New Mexico.” But beer isn’t what concerns Riddle, its wine.

Riddle owns Noisy Water Winery, one of the top five in the state in terms of volume. He’s building a new complex in Alto – north of Ruidoso – which would allow him to process about 100 tons of grapes annually. Even without that facility on line, he produced more than 100,000 bottles of wine last year.

Other wine producers are noticing, too. He’s won more than 100 medals and awards in state competitions, and has won numerous golds and silvers at the Finger Lakes International Competition in upstate New York. Considered a premier wine competition, the event features more than 4,500 entries from 37 countries and all 50 states. “When I talk to people in California, those are the awards they all talk about,” Riddle said.

Riddle is also proud to use nothing but New Mexico-grown grapes, a majority of them from the Deming area. “There’s been a resurgence of wine makers in the state that we haven’t had in a long time, it’s on a comeback,” Riddle said. “I’m hoping that in the next 10 to 12 years, our wines will be talked about in the same breath as Washington or Oregon.”

All these wines – and state-produced beers – are available at the Hidden Tap, along with good food and games that keep the locals coming back. It makes for pretty steady business all year long. “This grew beyond anything I expected,” Riddle said. “My April looks the same as July. I’m not getting rich, but it’s steady. It’s so cool to have a spot that the locals really love.

“We’ve expanded the kitchen, hired a new chef, and we want this to be cool and different,” he added. “I don’t want anyone to say it’s old and in the past. This all has to be as new an experience as possible.”

—Todd Fuqua