A Food Fun Travel Guest Post
Everyone with even the smallest interest in wine has heard of Napa Valley and Sonoma. The famous vineyards and wineries just outside San Francisco in California produce some of the most interesting and delicious wines in the world.
But did you know there are some equally impressive wines to be discovered further south, across the Mexican border?
The Valle de Guadalupe just outside Ensenada in Baja California is Mexico’s answer to Napa, Bordeaux, and Rioja. It is a gorgeous valley of lush, verdant vines, surrounded by the dramatic, rugged mountains that form the desert landscape of Baja California.
In this fascinating, eye-catching spot are some of the best vineyards and wineries in Mexico, which produce remarkable wines that are somehow still underrated and underappreciated outside of the country.
So when you are thinking of your next vacation destination or flicking through a brochure of cruises leaving from California to Mexico, why not indulge your inner wine buff and check out some of these astonishing wineries and vineyards just outside of Ensenada?
Vena Cava Winery
Achingly cool and oh-so-hip, Vena Cava Winery is a stunning blend of cutting-edge architectural style, painfully on-trend food and drinks, and some of the best organic wines around. Built using reclaimed and recycled materials, the winery is a wonderful visual experience, and the grapes are grown with no pesticides or artificial fertilizers. As an experience it is one of a kind, and it is worth going whether you are a fan of wine or not!
Adobe Guadalupe
From modern hipster style to classic Spanish Mission-style charm, Adobe Guadalupe offers a very different atmosphere, but with no drop in wine quality! The tasting room is gorgeous, all curved arches and historic facades, while the wine blends tradition with modern techniques to create some truly wonderful blends. Their Bordeaux-style Gabriel red is a particular highlight. If the historic charm of the place proves too tempting, you can even stay on site, with a restaurant and B&B a few steps away from the vines.
Monte Xanic
Monte Xanic is one of the oldest wineries in Ensenada, and is generally considered to be the first one to start producing truly world-class wines. Certainly its name is one that really put the Valle de Guadalupe on the map, so no visit to the area would be complete without coming here! They produce around 50,000 cases of award-winning wine a year, mostly from local varietals like Nebbiolo as well as classic grapes like Cabernet Sauvignon. The winery itself is beautiful, a combination of architectural grandeur and natural beauty, topped off by the gentle sea breeze.
Bruma
Ensenada has more than its fair share of sustainable, environmentally minded winemakers, and Bruma is one of the best. A truly eco-friendly winery, they prioritize a sense of oneness with the natural environment, right down to the vast, centuries-old oak tree that grows right in the middle of the main tasting room! As well as a wonderful range of outstanding wines, Bruma boasts a world class fine dining restaurant, Fauna, which is the perfect environment in which to taste their wares.
LA Cetto
Probably one of the biggest names in Mexican wines, LA Cetto is certainly one of the most recognizable wines from the Valle de Guadalupe. While they are best known for their (slightly underwhelming) table wines which are found throughout the country, a visit to the winery lets you try their full range, and discover why they are such a commercial success. From Petite Sirah to their stunning Reserva Privada Nebbiolo, their less-well known wines are truly out of this world.
