Valle de Guadalupe: Wine Tasting In Mexico
Wine tasting in Mexico is absolutely a thing everyone should do. Did you know that Mexico has a vibrant wine culture that stretches all the way back to the sixteenth century? I didn’t until I read up on the history of Mexican wine prior to travelling to the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California for a wine tasting weekend with my friends.
That’s what they mean by drinking responsibly, right?
The Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California is a stunning part of the country that is absolutely worth exploring whether you are into wine or not. My friends and I took a long weekend to check out the vineyards and learn about the Mexican wine industry. The scenery is magnificent and many of the vineyards also offer incredible restaurants. This was my first time in Baja California since I was 14 years old and it absolutely lit the desire to explore the region further.
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Mexican wine. Are you serious?
Yeah, I know, you’re used to me chattering away about tequila. It’s true, I love tequila and actually, I find that I struggle to drink wine at home in Mérida. I don’t know why but here, even one glass gives me a terrible headache. In Baja California, this did not happen and I got to enjoy ALL the wine.
So, yes, Mexican wine. Mexico is the oldest wine-growing region in the Americas, even older than Napa Valley. The Spanish brought European grapes with them when they came to this region and it turned out that they thrived in “New Spain”. In 1699 Carlos II prohibited winemaking in New Spain when it became too successful. This was to protect the colonising country’s export market. Funnily enough, that wasn’t on my Spanish history syllabus (yes, I really did study Spanish history at school in the UK). After Mexico’s independence, luckily for us, there was a return to winemaking.
In the last twenty years, winemaking has become a serious thing in Mexico despite it still not really being known as a wine-producing country. Now Mexico is home to vineyards that win international awards and serious restaurants, such as French Laundry, around the world stock Mexican wines. If you’ve never tried Mexican wines I highly recommend that you either get yourself a bottle or few pdq, or find a way to get to the Valle de Guadalupe as soon as is safe. Queretaro also has an up and coming wine culture, in case you didn’t know.
What To Do In Valle de Guadalupe
Ummmm. Drink wine.
Whether you’re on a girls’ trip like I was, with family, on a romantic getaway or even alone, you’ll find plenty to do and enjoy in this fabulous part of Mexico.
I love to take trips with friends. My travel gang and I explored Guanajuato together. I also visited Puebla with friends in early 2020 and highly recommend it to anyone who loves a perfect mix of outdoor fun, culture and great food.
There are over 100 vineyards in Baja California. Clearly, in one weekend we did not manage to visit all of them. My friends and I did our research though so we did fit in a good number and were pretty happy with all our choices. As ever, I refuse to suggest that this article is a definitive list or that we even visited the best of the best because I can’t possibly know. Instead, I’ll give you my honest opinion and hope it helps you to make up your mind about where is right for you.
If you’re like me and are all about outdoor spaces, you might love to spend a few weeks in Chiapas or exploring around San Miguel de Allende.
Day 1: Finca Altozano and Casa Frida
Finca Altozano
Casa Frida at sunset
Day 2: Monte Xanic, Solar Fortun, pizza in town
Monte Xanic
Solar Fortun
Day 3: Lechuza, Valley Girl, Bruma
Lechuza
Valley Girl
Bruma
Now, obviously all the photos I’ve shared thus far are of me guzzling wine in stunning surroundings. From here on I’ll try to share more useful photos that will actually help you figure out if this is a trip for you (it is. Nothing to figure out).
Most vineyards require you to book in advance whether you want to do a tour, a tasting, eat or just sit and drink. The level of seriousness of the tasting, by the way, I think depends on you and your requirements. At some tastings, we asked lots of questions, and other times we just enjoyed the incredible wines and the magnificent scenery.
I’ll write about the places we visited in order and I’ll make it clear whether they are vineyards or restaurants. This is absolutely meant to be a lighthearted, but useful, article, by the way. I’m not pretending to be a wine expert, I’m just someone who loves Mexico and loves to learn all about the different opportunities this wonderful country offers.
If you’re in the north of Mexico and have time, don’t forget about the stunningly beautiful Copper Canyon. I highly recommend taking the Chepe train and exploring Chihuahua, Creel, Divisidero and more.
FINCA ALTOZANO – RESTAURANT
We began our weekend with a much-needed lunch here. This charming restaurant (and B&B) with spectacular views uses only local ingredients and has an extensive wine list. We ordered wine from the vineyard next door – two bottles of Magoni. Note, Finca Altozano doesn’t make their own wine.
We ate well, very much enjoyed our wine and immediately found ourselves unwinding and destressing after our long flight from Mérida. We had a terrace table overlooking the beautiful gardens and after we’d eaten, we had a wonderful time frolicking (two bottles of wine will do that to people who haven’t eaten or slept) in the fresh air.
We saw a few families eating and there is space for kids to play should you wish to visit with your family. Vegetarians won’t be disappointed with the menu options.
CASA FRIDA – RESTAURANT
Casa Frida is the most confusing and complicated place we visited, in my opinion. The setting is undeniably beautiful and it has some fabulous opportunities for photography (but where doesn’t in this magnificent place, I mean region/state/country?) but I found myself confused, not super in love with the menu and definitely not in love with the food prices.
We began with a booking for the terrace, hoping we’d get to see the sunset but the terrace is inside so instead we went back downstairs and asked for an outdoor table, which we got. It was nice enough, but then we realised we couldn’t really eat there – there’s a very small, expensive menu. So then we moved again and headed to the restaurant area where we were handed a slightly bigger, equally expensive menu. We ate the cheapest thing on the menu ($185 peso soups) and drank more wine.
In the evening it absolutely isn’t a place for children. I remember finding the menu limited but I think that was about price more than my options for non-meat based dishes.
MONTE XANIC – VINEYARD
We began our Saturday with a winetasting at this elegant vineyard. It’s also possible to tour the grounds but we chose not to given how limited our time was.
If you just visit here for a drink, there is a beautiful outdoor area. For our wine tasting session, we had a table area inside. We were completely alone and the doors/windows were all open so the breeze was quite perfect. Monte Xanic wines can be bought in Mexican supermarkets (we have found them in Chedraui since returning home) and they’re every bit as delicious as at the vineyard.
The wine tasting experience was lovely. Our sommelier was knowledgeable, friendly and extremely patient with us as we jumped up to take photos every few minutes.
This isn’t really a spot for children and we didn’t eat here so I can’t comment on the food.
SOLAR FORTUN – VINEYARD AND RESTAURANT
This remote vineyard is one of my two favourites of the trip. The setting is low-key elegant, the wine is fabulous, the staff are very friendly and the food was truly wonderful. We were here for a sunset wine tasting. I’d like to say that I was sitting and sipping my wine while discussing the finer points of oenology as the sun went down but in truth, I was revelling in the fresh air, climbing trees, laughing with my best friends and generally being grateful to be alive.
This is absolutely a family-friendly space. I even saw children’s toys lying around. Vegetarians will be perfectly happy with the food options.
We ordered a case of wine from here, which I’m very excited to crack into.
LECHUZA – VINEYARD AND RESTAURANT
Lechuza is my other favourite of the places we visited. The atmosphere here is absolutely part of its charm but the quality of the wine, the passion and knowledge of the staff and the feeling of family that permeates everything really drew us all in. When we asked locals where to visit, Lechuza was somewhere everyone recommended.
The sommelier here was fun, interested in us as a group, he took our questions seriously and even filled up glasses with extra wine (which was welcome but is absolutely the reason for my less than decorous behaviour later in the day. a) I wish I could blame this extra glass of wine. b) No, I won’t be sharing those stories).
The owner, Kris, spent time chatting with us and explaining her passion for wine. She pulled me in good and proper when she said that winemaking is an exchange of energy. Oooh, I love that sort of attitude.
We also ordered a case of wine from here, which isn’t surprising as I’d say the wine here was far and away the best we tried all weekend.
We saw families enjoying Lechuza and the owners’ kids were around too. Food is from a gourmet taco truck. I didn’t see much in the way of vegetarian options here (also part of the reason I got silly later, no food) but the staff did say they’d see what they could do if I had wanted them to.
VALLEY GIRL – VINEYARD
We’d been told the food at Valley Girl is amazing so I held off eating at Lechuza. Turns out Valley Girl doesn’t serve food on Sundays but they do serve six-glass tasting sessions.
Can you see where I’m going? Yeah. I’m heading for silly Casie time.
aren’t the labels amazing?
Valley Girl was really hard to find. I’m not sure why. I don’t remember (too much to drink, maybe) but I do remember it wasn’t quite where we expected it to be.
The atmosphere here is super laid back. I took my shoes off and felt very relaxed in their entirely outdoor setting. The wine wasn’t my favourite of the weekend, but it was, let’s say, um, more accessible than elegant, wine for drinking under the hot sun at a BBQ with all your best buddies.
BRUMA – VINEYARD AND RESTAURANT
Bruma is one of the most famous vineyards in the area. We had a slightly disastrous entrance due to their mismanagement but they eventually got over it all and we had a great time. We visited here for wine tasting and for the rightly famous restaurant.
This was not only the last place we visited on Sunday but also the last vineyard of our trip so emotions were high (so was I by this point. I’d had a lot of wine). I may have asked ever so nicely if I could climb the very beautiful tree (apparently it’s no longer alive) in the middle of the wine tasting atrium. The sommelier told me I couldn’t but later he changed his mind and said I could. He also said I was only the second person to ever climb it – picture of me in the tree above (and the first didn’t ask permission, how rude!).
I liked the wine, especially when I was given the bottle and told I could pour my own.
Fauna, the restaurant, was the real hit here. The food is exquisite and all made from local ingredients. The setting is mostly outside (with some in a very open inside space). The menu is described as ‘experimental’ – you don’t really know what you’re getting, food just shows up in front of you.
How To Explore Valle de Guadalupe
The area is smaller than you might think but really it’s best explored with a car. We arrived in two groups, the first of us had a driver to take us from the airport in Tijuana to our Airbnb in the Valley. That cost us $40 USD per person. We then tried to call an Uber to take us to Casa Frida when we learned that the vast majority of ubers come from Ensenada and therefore require around thirty minutes just to arrive.
The Valley, as locals refer to it, is not far from Ensenada and is a stunning 1hr 40 drive along the ocean road from Tijuana. I highly recommend this route: be prepared to drive with your mouth hanging open at the sheer beauty of the wild coastline.
The second batch of us arrived with our group hire car (because one of the group was smart enough to realise we’d need it. While it does suck that someone always has to remain sober enough to drive, it makes life so very much easier if you have the car. Handily, everyone knows I hate driving so no one expected me to be a responsible person at any point on this trip (huge thanks and kisses to the three who did take on the driving responsibility, by the way).
There is no big grocery store in the Valley so be sure to stop off in Ensenada or Tijuana if you have an Airbnb and plan on cooking for yourselves. We made huge breakfasts at home every morning and had snacks for post-vineyard evenings.
Where To Stay When Exploring Valle de Guadalupe
There are dozens of fabulous looking Airbnb options. Some vineyards have their own hotels or rooms attached and, of course, it would also be possible to stay in Ensenada and visit from there, too. If you’re looking for hotel options there are plenty of places to choose from in Valle de Guadalupe, too. My friends and I opted for an Airbnb right in the heart of vineyard country.
Wherever you end up staying and wherever you end up visiting, I know you’ll have a marvellous time because the Valle de Guadalupe in Baja California really is yet another stunning region of Mexico. If you have time, I also highly recommend checking out Loreto, a true hidden gem in Baja Sur.
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