The Guadalupe Valley, Baja’s Wine Country

Not many people outside of Southern California are aware of the rare gem that awaits them just 40 miles south of the San Diego, California border.

If you enjoy pristine scenery, good wine, and exquisite Baja Med cuisine, Chef’s choice, Baja’s Guadalupe Valley is somewhere you need to visit.

Most of us have heard of Napa Valley, an area extremely famous for its wine but did you know about Baja Mexico’s booming wine country? Not only is it rich in agricultural history beginning with the Russian colony, exiled from their native Russia for religious persecution in 1905, but there is also the indigenous culture of the Kumiai (Kum- ee-ay) natives who have lived in the area long before the first Franciscan Priest, Father Fray Junipero Serra discovered Northern Baja California in the late 1700s.

The Kumiai People held lands along the coast of the Pacific Ocean as far as present-day Oceanside, California, south of Ensenada, and as far East as the Colorado River.

The history of winemaking in the Guadalupe Valley dates back to 1888 when Bodegas de Santo Tomas became the first established winery in Baja California.

Today there are over 120 wineries where wine tasting is the main attraction. You can also take a helicopter ride if you’re an adventurous soul but in recent years, the awesome beauty of this region, its wine, the vineyards, eight-course dining extravaganzas, and passionate winemakers are a huge draw for wine aficionados and for anyone who enjoys nature and good food.

I’m not a wine drinker, but I enjoy the unique architecture which makes each winery different. The minute I set foot inside a winery, I feel the love, dedication, and hard work that went into creating their wine, their environment, and their passion for wine making.

There are large commercial wineries such as Bodegas de Santo Tomas which has been around for 134 years and L.A. Cetto, owned by an Italian immigrant, Don Angel Cetto, who settled in the Guadalupe Valley in 1928 where he began his life as an oenologist and now has a multinational wine business. My personal favorites are the mom-and-pop wineries who many of our guests say are exceptionally delicious.

Tres Mujeres (three women) is a winery owned by three women as the name suggests. One of the women, Ivette Vaillard, lives on the premises. She greets her guests when they arrive with a warm smile. Ivette is a ceramic artist and the kindest person-welcoming everyone into her home. Some other smaller wineries, but high in quality are Saramientos/Vinos Fuentes, Hacienda Guadalupe and J.C Bravo.

My husband and I own a guest ranch just 20 minutes from the Guadalupe Valley. More than we first anticipated, our guests are eager to visit Baja’s Wine Country. We usually set aside a day during their visit to our ranch for wine tasting and dining. I won’t deny I don’t enjoy this, even if I’m not a wine fan and neither is my husband.

If you ever visit the Guadalupe Valley, you’ll find a world of colorful Mexican culture, art, top-notch cuisine, and exquisite wines but most of all you’ll most friendly and hospitable people you’ve ever met.

Do you know what the best wine is? The one you like. Everyone has an opinion on this but I believe the best wine is the one most pleasing to your palette.

After years of taking people to wineries, I still don’t get the swirling of the wine inside the glass or the meaning of legs as people stare into their crystal goblets and observe the remnants of their swirl sliding down into their glass. As much as I try, I don’t smell chocolate, strawberries nuts, or fruit in wine but that’s just me. The national drink of Mexico is fine Tequila but that’s an entirely different subject.

Northern Baja also has an extensive cattle ranching history. In the valley of Ojos Negros, just 20 minutes south of Ensenada, you’ll find Mexican families with surnames such as Murphy, McFarland, Duke, or House all descendants of Americans or Europeans who settled in Northern Baja during the early 1800s.

It’s impossible to visit every winery in the Guadalupe Valley on a weekend trip but it’s well worth it. I hope someday you have the opportunity to visit.

Originally published at https://vocal.media.