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.
Innehållsförteckning
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
Vanliga frågor
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! ganska cool. 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 ($33).
Vinos Dubacano – our driver and his family actually own this tasting room, which is surrounded by vines. inside has sort of a bar feel to it, and while we sat at the counter, our driver explained their wine and we sampled many! They offer 5 differENT typer av provsmakningar, med premiumprovningen kommer in på 350 pesos ($ 17,50) – för 5 glas. Hitta dem här.
Vinicola Kruger – Detta är en funky plats med några bord och stolar och en förhöjd, konverterad fraktcontainer för ett sittplats på taket. Denna plats var en del av turnén som vi bokade med vår förare. Vi hade ingen chans att prova premiumvinerna, men grunderna var bra. Det finns fyra underbara hundar här också! Hitta den på kartan.
Xecué – Detta är en avslappnad plats med en enastående utsikt över dalen. När vi besökte var de riktigt upptagna och gav oss inte riktigt mycket förklaring på vinerna, och hällarna var ganska små. Smakningar är 300 pesos ($ 15), premiumprovningar är 400 pesos ($ 20) och erbjuds fredag - söndag. Hitta det här.
Emevé Winery på Valle de Guadalupe
Vi besökte inte de mer kommersiella vingårdarna: El Cielo, Monte X’anic och La Cetto, även om de är populära.
En vingård som vi besökte och inte rekommenderar är Lechuza. Varje smakglas var samma pris som ett fullstor, vanligt glas vin. Deras resonemang för det var att vi betalade mer på grund av den information som vi fick under provsmakningen.
Ingen information gavs om vinerna som vi inte kunde ha hittat på baksidan av flaskan, och vi ignorerades för det mesta. Dessutom är inställningen här precis utanför motorvägen. Personligen var det inte vår favoritplats.
Var man kan äta i Valle de Guadalupe
Foodies gläder sig! Denna destination erbjuder välsmakande menyer och otroliga matställningar.
Oavsett om du vill göra en smakmeny med vinparning, äta på köket tillagad av en Michelin-stjärnig kock eller äta mer traditionell mexikansk mat, hittar du den i Valle de Guadalupe.
Många av restaurangerna är tillgängliga för bokningar på den opentable -appen. Om inte, måste du ringa dem direkt. Något att notera är att middagstider inte är sena i Valle med många restauranger som stänger runt 20:30.
Det finns många restauranger att äta på, men det är mina rekommenderade platser.
1. Deckman’s
Michelin-stjärniga kocken Drew Deckman är chef för utomhusköket här. Om du bara äter på en restaurang, gör den den här och se till att du är där för att njuta av solnedgången!
Maten och inställningen på Deckman’s var otrolig
Konceptet här är lokalt anskaffat, gård-till-bord, långsam mat. Det är avslappnat men ändå elegant.
Vi tittade på solnedgången över vingården och bergen i fjärran medan vi satt under ett tornigt tall. När solen gick ner blinkade Fairy -lamporna ovanför matgästerna och köket – och skapade en magisk scen.
Jag rekommenderar havsbasen och kort revben för elnätet och rödbetor för en start. Maten och platsen är förstklassig.
Vi räddade Deckmans för vår sista måltid i Valle och det besviken inte. Läs mer här och hitta restaurangen på kartan här.
2. Finca Altozano
En annan populär plats för lunch eller middag. Inställningen här är otrolig och det är ett bra ställe att ta bilder och njuta av solnedgången över dalen.
Den underbara fastigheten Finca Altozano Restaurant
Vi hade bara en lätt måltid här av Risotto och Burrata sallad att dela, men maten var god, restaurangen var riktigt upptagen och utomhusköket var fantastiskt.
Ring +52 646 156 8045 för bokningar och hitta Finca Altozano på kartan här.
3. Fauna
Detta är en del av Bruma som erbjuder en mycket unik matställe. Välj mellan framifrån under paraplyer, inuti eller i ryggen under ett “tak” av sammanflätade pinnar.
Den vackra