Wine, gastronomy, boutique accommodations and a low-key vibe. Valle de Guadalupe offers this and much more making it an ideal travel destination for foodies and wine aficionados.
Located in Baja California, Mexico, this underrated area of the country is a great place for a fun weekend with friends, a romantic getaway, or for those who are simply wanting to eat good food and drink excellent wine.
The accommodations and restaurants blend almost seamlessly into the desert landscape, and you’ll almost always have dogs, cats and livestock nearby.
While it has quite a rustic, farm feel to it, visitors here seem to dress to impress.
You’ll spot tourists, photographers and “Instagrammers” dressed for the destination — wearing a desert-inspired colour palette that suits the scene.
We recently ate and drank our way through the Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley) on a week-long trip and are already missing the region!
Cheers to the Valle de Guadalupe!
In this post, I’ll list the best things to do in Valle de Guadalupe, the top wineries, where to eat, where to stay, and my top tips for a great trip to Baja California.
Innholdsfortegnelse
About Valle de Guadalupe
5 best Wineries in the Valley
Where to eat in Valle de Guadalupe
Things To do in Valle de Guadalupe
How To get to Valle de Guadalupe
Top tips For visiting Valle de Guadalupe
Where to stay in the Valley
ofte stilte spørsmål
Have fun in the Valle!
About Valle de Guadalupe
Most travellers to Mexico have heard about Cabo San Lucas, Cancun, Mexico City, and Oaxaca, but surprisingly, Valle de Guadalupe remains somewhat hidden. For oenophiles, this is one of the best places to visit in Mexico.
Of the 14 wine regions in the country, this is Mexico’s best. The quality of wine in the Valle completely surprised us!
If you’re into big, bold, juicy, oaked reds, you will not be disappointed. but don’t worry if you’re not, there are some excellent white and rose wines as well.
The Valle de Guadalupe (Valle) has been producing wine for around 200 years, with this region contributing to 90% of the wine produced in the country. and while wine consumption may not be as popular in Mexico as beer and tequila, it’s getting there.
Vines and more vines
The area is also known for its stylish accommodations, sophisticated atmosphere, and awarded gastronomy — most of which are reached by driving down dusty, dirt roads.
With the Pacific ocean nearby, the area creates a microclimate of its own, which is similar to the Mediterranean. Grapes and other fruits and vegetables are easily grown here, while the seafood is pulled fresh from the ocean just 30 minutes away.
5 best Wineries in the Valley
Unlike other places in the world where we’ve travelled for wine, all of the wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe charge for tastings — anywhere from $10 – $50, usually for 4 small glasses.
It’s recommended to make a reservation for tastings, not only to ensure you get a spot, but to make sure they are open. weekends are busy, as are the summer months and holidays.
There are numerous wineries to explore and wines to sample, here’s a quick list of our favourites.
1. Baron Balch’e
If you’re into aged red wines, Baron Balch’e is your place. This well-known winery offers 18 different labels — 14 reds, 3 whites and 1 Clarette.
Wine tasting at Baron Balch’e was great
Included in the tasting is a tour of the cellar, which is a nice addition. There’s also a restaurant on-site. Baron Balch’e offers 5 different packages at different prices and levels of wine quality: A – E.
If you’re a red wine drinker, I recommend the premium tour “D” for 600 pesos ($30), or at the very least, tasting “C” for 330 pesos ($16.50). We lucked out and were given the tour by Norman who is an expert Sommelier. ask for him if you can!
Reservations aren’t necessary, as you will just join the tour to the cellar as one becomes available in your language (Spanish & English). Click here to find Baron Balch’e on the map, or call them here: +526466881032
2. Retorno
This super small, unassuming place is where to go for a chilled-out setting (ie: non-Instagram), but with a cool winemaker and fantastic reds. This is a great family-owned place.
Drinking wine straight out of the barrel at Retorno!
The winemaker gave us barrel tastings, we sampled some newer wine out of the metal vat and enjoyed the conversation. Plus, Carlota the labrador dog was so sweet!
Tastings here are cost effective at 140 pesos ($7) for the basic or$200 ($12) for the complete. For whites, the Teo is oaky on the nose and slightly fruity to taste.
For reds, don’t miss sampling the Palabra, Retorno, and the Década (which celebrated the winery’s tenth anniversary) — all are oaked, dry, bold, and complex.
Reservations are necessary, call them here: +526461519247 or send an email to info@vinicolaretorno.com. find Retorno on the map, here.
3. Relieve
Relieve is completely different from the two wineries above. This stylish, modern winery and vineyard is surrounded by rows of vines and has a nice patio available for a drink.
The very chic relieve winery
We had been enjoying wines by relieve while living in Playa del Carmen, so it was nice to be at the source!
The tastings here are 650 pesos and again, I recommend doing the premium tasting. The Tempranillo and Merlot are fantastic with lots of oak, deep red fruits, and a long finish. The Nebbiolo isn’t on the tasting menu but is a great bottle as well.
Reservations are recommended. call relieve here: +526462475285 and find them on the map here.
4. Don Tomás
The setting here is stunning. You can drink wine and have lunch at the tables that are completely surrounded by vines, or on one of the other decks.
The setting and the premium red wines were all great at Don Tomas
We weren’t impressed with the lack of information provided with the tastings here, but the quality of wine made up for that. Also, a small cheese and bread board is included with the tastings — which is the only place in the Valley we found that.
The premium tasting is 400 pesos ($20) and included all red wines, while the basic is 250 pesos ($12.50).
5. Vena Cava
The hillside here was dug out to create a natural cooling system for the barrels. The tastings are held here as well.
A really cool feature of Vena Cava is the fishing boat which has been flipped upside down and acts as the roof. Vena Cava is all about recycling and reusing.
Vena Cava’s upside down boat for a roof was pretty awesome
Sadly, when we visited they weren’t offering the premium tasting. We did enjoy the regular tasting and learned a lot about the winery from the guide.
After you’re done with the tastings, make sure to eat at the onsite food truck, Troika. order the oysters, cabbage, and mushroom risotto — you can thank me later.
The basic tasting is $18, two natural wines and two regular wines is $20, four natural wines is $35. If you want to do a premium tasting, you have to reserve in advance.
Call them here to reserve: +52 (646) 156 8053 or make a reservation through their website here. find Vena Cava on the map here.
Other Must-Visit Wineries:
Montefiori (Vinos Paolini) – Mexican wines with an Italian heart is the slogan here. Italian winemaker who has been in Mexico since 1985. This is a classy setting with a nice view. 450 pesos ($22) for a premium tasting. find it on the map, here.
Emevé – modern winery, nice vineyard views. The explanation of the wines was informative and the wines are good as well. 250 pesos ($12) for 3 tastings, or 400 pesos ($19) for 4 tastings with a souvenir glass. Click here to see it on the map.
Cava Maciel – A small, more off-track winery that is definitely worth the visit. The explanation of the wines here is top-notch. The winemakers here are passionate, fun, and informative. We really enjoyed the wines. It’s 350 pesos ($17) for a basic tasting and 500 pesos ($24) for a premium one. find it here.
Viña de Frannes – one of the most gorgeous lunch and tasting settings! Viña de Frannes is one of the only places doing a Cabernet Franc with 12 months in French oak — it was fantastic. try the rib eye pizza and ceviche, all was so good. find it here.
Casta – another place that includes a cellar tour in the tasting. In fact, we actually did the tasting down in the cellar! ganske kult. The staff here were great and many details and information were given about the wines we were sampling. The wines here were quite nice as well. Tastings are between 200 – 400 pesos ($10 – $20). find it on the map here.
Magoni – lovely area under a huge oak tree. The Nebbiolos are good and they also offer a balsamic vinegar tasting. regular four tasting costs 220 pesos ($11), six tastings cost 280 ($14) and the reserva tasting with 4 wines and snacks costs 650 ($33).
Vinos Dubacano – our driver and his family actually own this tasting room, which is surrounded by vines. inside has sort of a bar feel to it, and while we sat at the counter, our driver explained their wine and we sampled many! They offer 5 differENT -typer smaksprøver, med premiumsmakingen som kommer inn på 350 pesos ($ 17,50) – for 5 glass. Finn dem her.
VINICOLA KRUGER – Dette er et funky sted med noen få bord og stoler og en forhøyet, konvertert fraktcontainer for et takområde. Dette stedet var en del av turen vi booket med sjåføren vår. Vi hadde ikke en sjanse til å prøve premiumvinene, men det grunnleggende var bra. Det er fire nydelige hunder her også! Finn det på kartet.
Xecué – Dette er et avslappet sted med en enestående utsikt over dalen. Da vi besøkte, var de veldig opptatt og ga oss ikke så mye forklaring på vinene, og skjenken var ganske bittesmå. Smaksprøver er 300 pesos ($ 15), premium smaksprøver er 400 pesos ($ 20) og tilbys fredag - søndag. Finn det her.
Emevé Winery på Valle de Guadalupe
Vi besøkte ikke de mer kommersielle vingårdene: El Cielo, Monte X’anic og La Cetto, selv om de er populære.
En vingård vi besøkte og ikke anbefaler er lechuza. Hvert smaksglass var i samme pris som en i full størrelse, vanlig glass vin. Deres begrunnelse for det var at vi betalte mer på grunn av informasjonen vi fikk under smaken.
Det ble ikke gitt informasjon om vinene som vi ikke kunne ha funnet på baksiden av flasken, og vi ble ignorert mesteparten av tiden. I tillegg er innstillingen her like ved motorveien. Personlig var det ikke vårt favorittsted.
Hvor du kan spise i Valle de Guadalupe
Foodies gleder seg! Denne destinasjonen tilbyr smakfulle menyer og utrolige spisesteder.
Enten du vil lage en smaksmeny med vinparring, spise på mat tilberedt av en kokk i Michelin-stjerne, eller spise mer tradisjonell meksikansk mat, finner du den i Valle de Guadalupe.
Mange av restaurantene er tilgjengelige for reservasjoner på OpenTable -appen. Hvis ikke, må du ringe dem direkte. Noe å merke seg er at middagstidene ikke er sent i dalen med mange restauranter som stenger rundt 20:30.
Det er mange restauranter å spise på, men dette er mine anbefalte steder.
1. Deckman’s
Michelin-stjerne-kokken Drew Deckman leder friluftskjøkkenet her. Hvis du bare spiser på en restaurant, gjør den denne, og sørg for at du er der for å nyte solnedgangen!
Maten og innstillingen på Deckman’s var utrolig
Konseptet her er lokalt hentet, gård-til-bord, langsom mat. Det er uformelt, men likevel elegant.
Vi så på solnedgangen over vingården og fjellene i det fjerne mens vi satt under et ruvende furutre. Da solen gikk ned, blinket fe lys over spisestedene og kjøkkenet – og skapte en magisk scene.
Jeg anbefaler havabbor og kort ribbe for strømnettet, og rødbeter for en startpakke. Maten og beliggenheten er førsteklasses.
Vi reddet Deckman for vårt siste måltid i valen, og det skuffet ikke. Lær mer her og finn restauranten på kartet her.
2. Finca Altozano
Nok et populært sted for lunsj eller middag. Innstillingen her er utrolig, og det er et flott sted å ta bilder og nyte solnedgangen over dalen.
Den nydelige eiendommen Finca Altozano Restaurant
Vi hadde bare et lett måltid her risotto og burrata-salat å dele, men maten var god, restauranten var veldig opptatt og friluftskjøkkenet var flott.
Ring +52 646 156 8045 for reservasjoner og finn Finca Altozano på kartet her.
3. Fauna
Dette er en del av Bruma som tilbyr en veldig unik spisesteder. Velg mellom foran under paraplyer, inne eller i ryggen under et “tak” med sammenflettede pinner.
Den vakre