1 p.m.Several Napa Valley Latino winemakers are preparing to meet and greet Mexican President Felipe Calderon at Robledo Family Winery in Sonoma County this afternoon. Calderon is scheduled to be at the winery as part of a tour of California that began last night and included a visit with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in Sacramento.

“The interest of the president is to meet with the wine producers,” said Alex Sotelo, owner and winemaker of Napa-based Alex Sotelo Cellars. “There’s a lot of interest in Mexican winemakers. Twenty years ago, there was nobody that would call themselves Mexican winemakers. Now we have more than 1,000 families that are making high-end wines in the Napa Valley.”

Sotelo is among that list of Latino winemakers who have carved themselves a slice of Napa’s wine industry and are proving that Latinos have what it takes to make wine.

“Ninety-five percent of the work in the vineyards is done by the Mexicans, very little is done on the other side of the vine,” Sotelo said. “This is pretty much a new movement that we are doing.”

Oscar Renteria, of Renteria Wines, said he is in awe that the president is taking time to visit with him and his peers, adding he hopes to chat with Calderon about golf, while sipping on some tequila.

When asked what else he would like to talk to the president about Renteria said “What does he think about his vino in California, tequila?”

Sotelo said if he gets the chance to speak with Calderon, he will ask about making it easier for Napa winemakers to export their wines into Mexico.

He also said he hopes to talk to Calderon about creating more job opportunities in Mexico so people there won’t have to immigrate to find work.

Renteria said he doesn’t know why Calderon would want to meet with Napa and Sonoma winemakers, but said that is might have something to do with the world-wide marketing savvy of Napa winemakers.

“There are things that he can learn,” Renteria said.

In Sacramento today, Calderon acknowledged tensions between the U.S. and Mexico over illegal immigration but stressed that both countries have an interest in ensuring their citizens can cross the border legally and safely.

Addressing a joint session of the California Legislature, Calderon said the economies of the two countries are interdependent. For that reason, there must be “shared responsibility” for immigration on both sides of the border.

“I know that immigration is a controversial issue today in this great nation. But I strongly believe that Mexican and Mexican-American workers are a large reason for the dynamic economy of California,” he said in prepared remarks. “Our nations will never find prosperity by closing their doors.”

After his address to California lawmakers, Calderon met privately with Schwarzenegger and his advisers on environmental and trade issues.

The governor and first lady Maria Shriver hosted a state luncheon for him before he left to meet with the vintners. Calderon is scheduled to fly to Los Angeles after his visit to Sonoma, where he will meet with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.

Calderon, who was making his first visit to the U.S. since winning office, said Mexico had taken steps to strengthen security at the border and improve its economy.

He said the government has stepped up law enforcement against drug traffickers and organized crime. Calderon cited the seizure of large amounts of cocaine and cash, which has driven up the price of drugs in America by nearly 50 percent last year.