Visiting Valle de Guadalupe Wine Region

Why visit Valle de Guadalupe

WINE NOT? (Sorry, I had to!).

But seriously, it’s a beautiful region with fantastic wine. And, if you’re coming from the US, you’re likely to find it affordable. There are also incredible restaurants and delicious food (both Mexican and international). For example, two of the top 50 best restaurants in Latin America are here (numbers 4 and 19 on the list linked; we went to both).

What’s the vibe like? The vibe in Valle de Guadalupe is really chilled. It’s about daytime wine tasting so the wineries close early. There are stunning venues with beautiful views; I can only describe it as ‘laidback luxury’. Most of the best wineries are reached by modest desert roads that look like they’ll lead nowhere. The fantastic venues look surreal plonked in the desert!

You’ll find a mix of local tourists and US travelers. I know from the reaction I’ve received all over Baja California that they don’t get many Brits in these parts.

What is the wine here like?

A few of the other articles I read before visiting started in a snobby way saying they were expecting Mexican wine to be bad but enjoyed it. Even if they meant it as a compliment, I find it rude to start with the assumption that Mexican wine would be bad… But I guess wine is just the ultimate snobby topic!

I expected it to be delicious and it was. I’ve had plenty of amazing wine during my travels from countries not necessarily known for it like Croatia and Kosovo. There’s more to life than California and France, you know! Think outside the box.

RANT OVER 😉

To answer the question, there are several types of wine from Baja California. Reds include cabernet sauvignon, merlot, and syrah, while whites include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, and chenin blanc. Rose and sparkling wines are also available. Although I didn’t find any orange wine during our trip, I recently found a restaurant in La Paz, Baja, serving orange wine from Guadalupe. My fave!

All the wine we tried while visiting Valle de Guadalupe was delicious, especially the sauvignon blancs. To be honest, I’m not enough of a wine connoisseur to pick out specifics, but the general consensus from wine experts is that Baja wine has a unique character suited to its surroundings and caters to the fine wine market, rather than Napa Valley wines that cater to the general palette.

San Ysidro Border Crossing: many US travelers will make the crossing here. Given that it’s the world’s busiest land border, there are often waits of up to 6 hours.

Some tips if you’re driving down for the day:

• Get Mexican auto insurance as your US policy is likely to not apply
• Use the US Customs website to check wait times
• Avoid rush hour when people cross the border for work
• Bring your passport! Obviously.

You can even take a day trip from San Diego and back if you don’t want to organize it yourself. If you’re already in Tijuana (or on the US side of San Ysidro border), take this tour.

Note – it’s also possible to cross on foot and get an ABC bus from the station on the Mexican side (10 minutes walk from the border) to Ensenada, then an Uber from the rest of the way. There are parking lots on the US side where you can leave your car.

By air: since we were already in Mexico (but very far away), we flew into the nearest airport of Tijuana. There are a few ways to get to Valle de Guadalupe from the airport:

• By rental car: use Rentalcars to book and collect a car at TJ airport (or Ensenada)
• Call Uber: for around $100, you can get a taxi all the way to the wine region. Given there’s no direct transport, this isn’t a bad option if there are a few of you to split the costs
• UberVALLE: I learned after my trip about this option on the Uber app which pairs you with a driver for a full day tour including taking you back to your accommodation in TJ or Ensenada at the end of the day. This option never came up on my phone, perhaps it’s only on US phones.
• By public transport (what we did): take an Uber to the bus station and board the next service to Ensenada (255 pesos). We hoped to find a local bus from here to the wine region but there were none so we called an Uber for around 450 pesos.

Best season to visit Valle de Guadalupe

Because it gets hot in the summer and cold in the winter, the ideal time to go wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe is the shoulder season of April to June and October to November.

Saying that, you can technically visit year-round. We went in December and, although it was cold in the evenings, it was bright and beautiful during the days. The only ‘problem’ is that most of the venues we visited were empty. Although the atmosphere wasn’t lively, at least we always got a table and never had to call ahead to book like you would in the summer.

Also, we got great deals on accommodation in the off-season. So there’s no ‘right’ time to come.

Something to know about Valle de Guadalupe is there isn’t really a town. The wineries are set back off Highway 3 connecting Tecate and the coast. However, the nearest thing to a center is the point where the highway meets Calle Principal.

Here, there are a few restaurants on either side of the road as well as a supermarket. Some smaller ‘streets’ (although these are not paved, just dusty tracks) set back from the main road are where you’ll find hotels and the odd cafe. We stayed here at Hotel Posada del Valle, a modest, nice place that did the job. And they gave us cake for breakfast!

Since you’ll likely need to drive or have a driver (more on this below) to get the best of the Valle de Guadalupe region, it doesn’t matter that much where you stay because you’ll need to travel around anyway to visit the various restaurants and wineries.

How to get around Valle de Guadalupe wine region

Best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe Wine Region

A topic I’m sure you’re keen to delve into! There are so many places for wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe and I’m sure every publication will tell you somewhere different. These were our favorites…

Tip – many wineries are closed on Tuesdays! Be sure to check in advance.

This is a beautiful venue, part of the Fauna restaurant complex that I’ll mention later (but still a 10-minute walk or quick drive away). They have an open-air restaurant with big, shared tables and fairy lights strung in the trees above. This is an ideal place to enjoy food and drinks as a group, or you can relax in the comfy chairs looking over the vines.

Bruma Wine Garden is one of the more expensive wineries we visited with glasses from 230 pesos. Although we didn’t eat here, I hear the food is amazing, especially the ceviche and wood-fired pizzas.

This was the first winery we visited in Valle de Guadalupe, about an hour after arriving in the wine region. Although Vinedos Malagon isn’t the most famous in the area, it’s a beautiful place with great views of the valley.

You can perch yourself in comfy chairs or a hammock to enjoy the views. You can do wine tastings inside or at pretty tiled tables beside a stone pizza oven (which wasn’t in use in December but I’m guessing is during the summer months).

The owners here gave us a great explanation about the wines they produce, and we paid 400 pesos for a 4-wine tasting.

This was our favorite winery of the trip! Solar Fortun might not make any lists of the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe only because it’s a hidden gem. It’s a beautiful venue with friendly staff, fantastic wines, and delicious food.

We had an incredible tuna ceviche dish mixed with cucumber and strawberries, served with guac and sourdough, followed by a cheese board with guava jam, nuts, and salsas. This food was divine! I did a wine tasting while my friend just sipped a Sauvignon blanc.

Solar Fortun has a spacious shaded seating area and even some hammocks where you can relax with a glass of vino. This area looks out onto the vineyards which sadly were a bit dead during our December trip!

With over 100 wineries in the region, we didn’t get around to visiting them all. Here are some other highly-rated places to visit in Valle de Guadalupe:

• Vena Cava – visit for quality natural wines and the food truck outside serving delicious food.
• Monte Xanic – with stunning views and outdoor seating, this is a famous winery for a reason with cellar tours, wine-tasting packages, and indulgent cheese platters. There’s a kid’s play area and mini zoo.
• Finca La Carrodilla – despite being located far on the edge of the valley, this huge venue is worth visiting with tastings, platters, a cafe, and phenomenal views.
• El Cielo – a beautiful hotel and winery with tasting opportunities.
• Don Tomas – this aesthetically pleasing venue is where you can come to stay in luxurious cabanas or simply make a booking at the winery for delicious local wines and indulgent food from steaks to cheese boards
• Vinos Lechuza – known for their chardonnay and nebbiolo wines, this is another quality venue with fantastic reviews.
• Hilo Negro – one of the best places to drink red wine in the valley.
• Decantos Vinicola – this is a fancy hilltop winery with fantastic views.

Best restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe Wine Region

Next up, a very important topic! You’ll be able to order food at all the wineries and wine at all the restaurants, but these are just a specific few places I recommend eating that aren’t vineyards…

Fauna

Okay, I have mixed opinions about this place. Fauna – by Chef David Castro Hussong – was voted the 4th best restaurant in Latin America (and best in Mexico) by the World’s 50 Best publication so, as you can imagine, my expectations were high.

Was it because of these high expectations that it fell short? Maybe. I can’t deny it’s an impressive venue: you sit on big shared tables that feel cozy and communal, there are wonderful views, and some quirky features like the dead tree art piece.

The cocktails and wine are fantastic. But the food? It wasn’t bad, it just didn’t wow us for the price (keep reading for some meals that did!). We ordered the octopus and a couple of desserts, but perhaps there were other dishes that we would have preferred. Who knows?

I’m mentioning Fauna anyway because it generally does have great views – from diners and critics – and it’s a spectacular venue. Give it a try! The food is sharing style with small plates from 270 pesos, larger plates from 320 pesos, and wine from 230 pesos a glass.

Adobe Guadalupe food truck

Beside the winery of the same name, Adobe Guadalupe food truck serves far fancier morsels than the street food stands in Mexico City that I’m used to! Soak up the wine you’ve inevitably been drinking with tapas dishes like croquettes, garlic mushrooms, and papas bravas, as well as luxe sandwiches.

Other things to do in Valle de Guadalupe wine region

Of course, wine tasting is what you’re here for! But you can also…

As soon as I started researching how to visit Valle de Guadalupe wine region, I started seeing photos of this giant wine bottle and I knew I had to find it! Luckily, it was just a five-minute walk from our hotel down a dusty street.

It’s also beside the colorful ‘Valle de Guadalupe’ sign pictured somewhere toward the top of this post.

My friend and I arrived and had it all to ourselves for a little photo shoot. Then, all of a sudden, a tour bus arrived and 30 people climbed off to do the same! We made a swift exit…

Other activities in the wine region include horseback riding, hot air ballooning, ATV tours, ziplining, and more. We didn’t do any of these things as we were content with eating and drinking (my two favorite hobbies).

When visiting Valle de Guadalupe, you can expect to pay between 150 and 230 pesos for a glass of wine. Wine-tasting flights start from 400 pesos.

I do think Valle de Guadalupe is expensive compared to other places in Mexico (including Queretaro wine region in central Mexico) but it’s to be expected since many of the guests come from the US. It’s still adorable compared to wine tasting in California.

When are the wineries open?

They start to open from 11am and begin closing between 5-6pm (aside from ones that are also restaurants and are sometimes open longer).

It gets dark early in Valle de Guadalupe (around 4.45pm during our December trip) and the region goes to sleep soon after. Given the dark streets and lack of a main hub, there isn’t much nighttime atmosphere. Your best bet for evening drinks and good vibes is visiting one of the popular restaurants in the region.

Do you need to make reservations?

In short, it depends on the season. During our December trip, the only place we found busy enough to require a booking was Fauna. Everywhere else, we just walked in.

However, in peak season, you certainly require bookings! Since there are so many top restaurants and wineries, you’d be disappointed to have your mind set on a particular meal or tasting experience and get turned away. Most restaurants have a link to OpenTable from their Google pin so there’s no need to make phone calls (every millennial’s worst nightmare!).

Do people speak English in Valle de Guadalupe?

Yes, although we live in Mexico and always do our best with Spanish, we found that it was really easy for native English speakers in Valle de Guadalupe. I guess because of the proximity to the US and the many American tourists the region receives, most locals who work in the wine industry speak great English.

Learning a few local words to be polite and respectful is always best, of course!

Getting between Baja Norte and Baja Sur

This is surprisingly difficult due to the length of Baja California. Driving from Valle de Guadalupe to La Paz would take 17 hours!

You can do a road trip, calling somewhere in the middle like Loreto, or fly from Tijuana to La Paz or Cabo.

Visiting Ensenada next?

Okay, I’ll start this by saying we didn’t LOVE Enseanda. It didn’t feel unsafe like Tijuana (we REALLY didn’t like Tijuana) but it just wasn’t particularly nice. My friend and I live in the incredible Mexico City and have traveled extensively around the country and just felt we’d been to SO many nicer places.

In retrospect, we think staying overnight in Ensenada was part of the problem. You just don’t need long there. A better idea is to pass through for fish tacos and a famous margarita then move on.

The third place is Tacos Corona, just across the road from Tacos Fenix. We were too stuffed but I’ve since noticed they have 4.7 stars on Google (although based on fewer reviews than the other two) so now I’m thinking we should have shoveled some down!

On the topic of seafood, I’ve been told that there’s a fantastic place for lobster on the drive down from the US. The town is named Puerto Nuevo and there are countless restaurants to try fresh lobster for around $40. I haven’t been here myself but I’m drooling thinking about it!

The OG margarita

As the world’s biggest margarita fan (a title I just fully made up), of course I was excited to try one at the bar that claimed to have invented them!

Husongs, in Zona Centro, is where to get a mean frozen marg for just 100 pesos. It’s a historic cantina open since 1892 complete with peanut shells on the floor and roaming mariachi bands who’ll play you songs for a few dollars. A must if you visit Ensenada!