Blog | Valle de Guadalupe

VALLE DE GUADALUPE / MEXICAN WINE AT ITS BEST EXPRESSION
BY DANIEL GOMEZ

For wine lovers and for those not so attracted by it, this is a wonderful destination.

Departing from Mexico City you have to fly to Tijuana, BC. Once in Tijuana you can choose to stay a day or start your journey to Ensenada and/or Valle de Guadalupe. The trip takes approximately 2 hours by the Escénica, which presents beautiful landscapes during the trip. On the way to Ensenada you have the option of stopping in Puerto Nuevo to try Lobster with rice and beans, which is the specialty there, believe me, it is delicious!

Continuing the tour to Ensenada, (here it depends if you will be staying in Ensenada or in Valle de Guadalupe, there is a great variety of hotels. Obviously it is more expensive to stay in Valle, but if you are willing to pay for the experience, you will not regret it).

In this case, on one of my trips to this beautiful destination I decided to stay at Cuatro Cuatros. This place is amazing. The hotel is based on luxury tents with all the services. They are called Las Cabañas. They are cabins between vineyards, mountains and sea, for lovers of life, freedom, pleasure and rest.

Cuatro Cuatros has a terrace on the top of a mountain where the scenery is unparalleled since, on one side, you have the vineyards and on the other side the ocean view. Watching the sunset in this place will amaze you.

The day after my arrival, we went to the Bodegas Santo Tomas vineyard. This winery is one of the oldest in Baja California. That is why it is located about an hour from Ensenada, in the Santo Tomas Valley. There we took a tour of the vineyards along with a tasting in the middle of the vineyard with an extensive explanation of the wines and the history of the place. I highly recommend a visit. Most of the vineyards in Valle de Guadalupe are small and here you can see a large expanse of vines.

On the way back to the Ensenada area, you can "try" the famous tostadas at La Guerrerense. It is so successful that it is always full, but at the same time they serve them so fast that you can't even get to try them. There is everything, including sea urchin, which they say is delicious, but the truth is that I didn't try it.

In the afternoon, go to the Terraza de Cuatro Cuatros to watch the sunset and have wine or an aperitif. After watching the sunset, we recommend going to dinner at one of the most renowned restaurants, Laja or Corazón de Tierra. I don't want to lie to you, on my first visit I was amazed with Corazón de Tierra, however, I suppose that because of its popularity, the quality of its food and service has dropped a bit. Even so, I recommend it.

The next day, a tour of the vineyards in Valle de Guadalupe. There are many and of excellent quality. I visited Finca La Carrodilla. This place has excellent wine and is well worth a visit. Another one is Las Nubes. Although it is not my favorite wine, it is worth a visit as well. Afterwards, lunch at Deckman's Restaurant. Delicious!

Also visit to Montefiori, excellent wines too!

Next day, breakfast at Adobe Guadalupe. One of my favorites. Although it is small, it has a variety of wines, all very good. The place is really beautiful. This time we went there for breakfast, but on previous occasions we stayed there to see everything. Then we visited La Escuelita. La Escuelita is the place that was created to teach local people how to produce wine. Hugo D'Acosta, winemaker of Casa de Piedra and Aborigen and soul of the Escuelita, tells us that it was born because some of his friends, chefs, oceanologists and people outside the wine industry started asking him for help to make a barriquita. Let's say that is where this great project was born.

Later he visits Torres Alegre and Montefiori. The latter is highly recommended. Finally, lunch/dinner at La Esperanza.

This is just a taste of what Valle de Guadalupe has to offer. The variety of accommodations you will either love or hate. Take the Hotel Campera, for example. If you don't mind discomfort, you might like this concept. They are bubble-type rooms that overlook the vineyard and the sky where you can see the stars at full blast. Another hotel of this type is Encuentro Guadalupe. They are lofts built on the hillside for an incredible view of the valley.

As I said at the beginning, there are so many options that you will want to come back. In my case, if it were possible I would go at least once a year.

Cheers!

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