Valle de Guadalupe Trip Report - Butter and Sage

I noticed when I was looking at the pictures posted on Butter and Sage that Jen Dery had written an excellent account of a trip she had made to the Valle de Guadalupe back in January.  She benefitted from talking beforehand to a lot of people with knowledge of the Valle.

She share's all of that excellent information (and a lot of beautiful pictures) in this post.

Butter and Sage - Valle de Guadalupe

Savor San Diego - Valle de Guadalupe Episode

The local PBS affiliate produces a half hour show called Savor San Diego.  In an episode this season host Su-Mei Yu traveled to the Valle de Guadalupe and showcased some of its riches.

You can watch the episode here:   Savor San Diego - Valle de Guadalupe 

El Campito Loves Baja California (especially the Valle de Guadalupe)

Picture from Fernando Gaxiola's Facebook page

If imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery then the El Campito Farm really really loves the Valle de Guadalupe.  All the elements of the Valle were on display at the El Campito Loves Baja California dinner event on Saturday:  beautiful pastoral setting, wines from the Valle, delicious food prepared by Flor Franco and Javier Plascencia, and the joy of sharing the experience with new friends.

A great event.

Check out Butter & Sage for a photo essay of the event.

Fernando Gaxiola of Baja Food + Wine and  El Campito Farm deserve major kudos.

If you're good at finding Waldo you might be able to spot me here:
Butter & Sage's Facebook Album

Dining Out San Diego also has a bunch of pictures on Facebook.
DiningOutSD's Facebook Album

And, Cur8eur has pictures, too!
Cur8eur's Facebook Album

Valle de Guadalupe - Hotel and Lodging List

Updated 7/18/16

I'm often asked about where to stay in the Valle.  It's a question that's almost impossible to answer because of the myriad of options.  First of all, the Valle de Guadalupe is close enough to San Diego that you could do a day trip and not need lodging at all.  And secondly,  Ensenada and all the coastal communities have lots choices and are within an hour driving time to the Valle.

That being said, the Valle has a lot great places to stay in a wide range of prices.

Hotels/Bed and Breakfasts

Prices change often and vary according to season and day of the week.  In addition many of the published prices for rooms do not include taxes and fees.

Adobe Guadalupe Vineyards & Inn  Trip Advisor  Report  Review ($210)
Bruma  Report  Review ($250)
Casa Garces Hotel Boutique  Facebook
Casa Mayoral  Facebook Review   ($135 - $200)
Casa Encinares Bed & Breakfast  ($120)
Casa Urbina Wine Resort Airbnb   Facebook ($182)
encuentro antiresorts  Trip Advisor ($350)
Finca La Divina   Facebook   Report  ($215 - $235)
Finca Koochaege  Facebook  Booking.com  Video
Hacienda Guadalupe  Trip Advisor ($199 - $225)
Hotel Boutique Valle de Guadalupe   Facebook  ($170 - $240)
Hotel Posada Inn @ Rancho Maria Teresa
La Villa del Valle  Trip Advisor   Review ($225 - $245)
Meson del Vino   Booking.com  Trip Advisor  ($55 - $120)
Rancho El Parral    Descubre Baja California  Facebook  ($140)
Rancho Cien Piedras   Facebook  (3BR - $570)
Ranch L-86   Facebook ($175 - $300)
Quinta Bugambilias
Quinta Estrella  Booking.com
Quinta Evy  Booking.com  ($150)
Quinta Maria Valle Guadalupe   Booking.com   Trip Advisor   Video ($120)
Quinta El Shaddai  Facebook  Airbnb
Plaza Fatima Hotel
Terra Del Valle Bed and Breakfast  Facebook  Booking.com  Trip Advisor  Video
Tesela
Vientos del Valle  Facebook
Vinedos Malagon  Trip Advisor


Other  Options:

Quinta La Vida - VRBO (3BR - $421)

Villa del Vino Ruta del Vino - VRBO  (4BR - $421)

Wine Country Loft in Valle de Guadalupe - VRBO (1BR - $175)

Casita in the Heart of Baja Wine Country  (1BR - $150)

Beautiful home 1.5 hours into Mex - Airbnb (5BR - $180 + $36 per person after 4 guests)

Valle de Guadalupe, Baja, Mexico - Lodge - Airbnb  (4BR - $824)

Rustic cabin in wine country - Airbnb (3BR - $191)

Nice 2BD House, Baja's Wine Country - Airbnb (2BR - $144)

Working winery family - Airbnb  (3BR - $219)

Glamping - Ruta de Arte y Vino   Facebook   Airbnb  (Airstreams - $41 per person)
Glamping - Ruta de Arte y Vino - Old Log Cabin   (2BR - $103)

Casa Emilio - Airbnb (3BR - $412)

Casa de Tierra Vineyard Ecolodge - Airbnb (1BR $129)

Pasa la noche en un viñedo - Airbnb (1BR $103)
Hospédate en un viñedo - Airbnb (1BR $103)

Wine Country - Fully Equipped Home - Airbnb   (2BR - $206)

Organica/Guadalupe - Airbnb (1BR - $124)

El Shaddai - Airbnb (4 cabañas - $557)
Cabaña Piedra - Airbnb  (1BR - $72)
Cabaña Familiar (Maranatha) - Airbnb  (1BR - 3 beds - $129)
Cabaña Cactus - Airbnb  (1BR - $69)

El Escondite: Fig - Airbnb  (1BR - $62)
El Escondite: Guava - Airbnb  (1BR - $62)

Cozy cabin in Baja's wine country  (1BR - $119)

Cabins in Baja's Wine Country #3  - Airbnb  (1 BR - $129)
Cabins in Baja Wine Country #2 - Airbnb  (1BR - $129)

House in Valle de Guadalupe  (3BR - $124)

Lovely House at Valle de Guadalupe - Airbnb  (2BR - $195)

Rancho Parra Private Room - Airbnb  (private room - $72)

Casa de Campo Natura - Airbnb   Facebook  (2BR - $283)

Casa Nativo - Airbnb  (2BR - $227)

Casa en Valle de Guadalupe • Ensenada - Airbnb  (3BR - $618)

Departamento en la Ruta de Vino  (1BR - $155)

Rancho El Rossinyol - Airbnb   Facebook (2BR $227)

El Alamo - Airbnb   Facebook   Booking.com  (1BR - $41)

Bed & Breakfast Guadalupe Valley (Viniphera Spa)   Facebook (1BR - $128)

Stay in the Vineyards of Ensenada  (2BR - $77)

80's Trailer in Boutique Winery!  (1 BR - $71)

Casa con alberca para 10 personas   (1BR - $249)

Posada Las Margaritas - Airbnb  (4BR - $155 per room ??)

Casa Carmela en el Corazon de la Ruta del Vino - Airbnb   (2BR - $258)

Villa Verano en el Corazon de La Ruta del Vino - Airbnb   (4BR - $412)

Trailer House en el Corazon de Ruta del Valle   (3BR - $155)

Wine Country House - Airbnb   (3BR - $361)

Cabañas Foster Ruta del Vino - Airbnb   (Sleeps 6 - $93)

El Hotel Boutique - Quinta Estrella - Airbnb  (2BR - $93)

El Rincon del Valle - Airbnb  (3BR - $361)

Mobile Home in Wine Country  (3BR - $62)

Shantal's home in the heart of Baja's wineries Rent by Owner (3BR - $250)

Villas Victoria - Airbnb  (1BR - $170)

Guadalupe Valley Artsy House (3BR - $258)

Casita del Sol - Airbnb (1BR - $155)

Casa en la Ruta de Vinos (3BR - $110 - $170)

Rancho El Colibrí (1BR - $83)

La Cima del Valle - Airbnb  (1BR $148)

La Casita de Valentina - Airbnb  (1BR - $103)

Suite La Piedra 5 - Airbnb (1BR - $200)

Quinta en la Ruta del Vino - Airbnb (3BR - $206)

Casa Frida - Airbnb   (1BR - $98)

Campgrounds/RV Parks

Baja Grand Estancia  Facebook

And although Cuatro Cuatros is not quite in the Valle (it's very close) I thought it's unique cabanas deserved a mention.

Cuatro Cuatros 

Vena Cava Vinicola Gets Some NPR Love

The Hippest Winery In Mexico Is Made from Recycled Boats

Menu Report: Almanzara Gastrobar

The caveat here is that most of the restaurants in the Valle change their menus regularly based on their ability to source products.  That being said, I do appreciate it when restaurants post their menus on the internet.

Almazara Gastrobar

Hopper: The World's Ten Best Wine Travel Destinations

Hopper

Menu Report: Fuego Restaurant & Lounge

Fuego Restaurant & Lounge

*****

Valle de Guadalupe - Restaurant List

Festival del Olivo + Paella en el Valle

Festival del Olivo + Paella en el Valle

Baron Balche Winery

11:00 AM  Saturday, April 5

Tickets $100 pesos at

Coffe Express 

101 Vinos
Viajes Kinessia
La Balch'é La Cava

More information 646-152-1647

Let's Restycle - Hotel Endemico

Let's Restycle has a photo essay of Hotel Endemico

Let's Restycle

Toll Road Update

The Ensenada Gringo has a news rundown of the work (or lack thereof) being done to repair the section of the toll road damaged in the February landslide. 

In the post he quotes Gov. Francisco Vega de Lamadrid and federal officials as saying.

The Tijuana-Ensenada Scenic Road will be open to traffic light traffic and heavy load on 16 this September.

I'm skeptical.

Ensenada Gringo

Los Naranjos Opens Saturday, March 29

Los Naranjos, the campestre at Rancho Maria Teresa, reopens this Saturday under new management. 

Facebook

Winery List Update

A recent article about the Valle stated that there were 93 wineries in the Valle.  My list now contains 54.  I have some work to do.

Winery List

El Campito Loves Baja Wine Country

I found something of interest for fans of the Valle living in San Diego.  This Saturday Javier Plascencia (Finca Altozano) and Flor Franco (Encuentro) along with three wineries of the region will be bringing the Valle de Guadalupe to Alpine's El Campito Farm

Cur8eur has the details here:  Something Special In Alpine

Tickets

A Tale of Two Diners - Latitud 32

When Life + Food dined at Latitud 32 this happened - Review

But, eat.drink.give.go had a different experience - Review

I'll just add that we have had two meals at Latitud 32, dinner and breakfast. We enjoyed them both.

Winery 360 - Las Nubes

Las Nubes is one of the Valle's bigger operations.  Located on the Valle's north side the very impressive facility has a beautiful deck with a great view.

Give yourself some extra time while wine tasting here, in fact order a cheese board and spend the entire afternoon.

For more information here are a few links:

Baja Bound - Las Nubes

Baja.com - Las Nubes

Trip Advisor

And, here's a short video

Menu Report: El Pinar de 3 Mujeres

This weekends menu via Facebook

Este fin de semana en nuestro menú: Sopa de betabel con naranja, Ensalada de lechugas con hinojos y Manzana verde con arúgula y perejil, Jurel ahumado en casa, Salchichas artesanales, Pollo al romero con limón y nuestras emblemáticas Costillas de cerdo! Te esperamos!

Via my rudimentary Duolingo Spanish

Our menu this weekend:  

Beet soup with orange
Lettuce salad with fennel, green apple, arugula, and parsley
Artisenal sausages
Rosemary chicken with lemon
Emblematic pork ribs

Wine Spotting - Fuego Restaurant & Lounge

Is there a better way to spend an afternoon than sharing a bottle of wine and enjoying some tasty food with friends in a lovely setting.

And, that's the working definition of wine spotting

Let's add the Fuego's deck on the grounds of Hotel Boutique Valle de Guadalupe to the WS list.

Fuego Restaurant & Lounge

Hotel Boutique's Facebook page



*****

Valle de Guadalupe - Restaurant List

Two Days In Wine Country - San Diego Magazine

There's no bigger supporter of the Valle de Guadalupe nor anyone with more knowledge of its restaurants and wineries than Kristin Diaz De Sandi (Life + Food and Club Tengo Hambre).

She shares some very useful information in this short article from San Diego Magazine.

Two Days In Wine Country

A Restaurant 360 - Laja

The Valle is the home to a growing number of outstanding restaurants.  I thought it might be useful to aggregate some of the information floating around the internet into single posts I'll call Restaurant 360s.  

Let's start with the first restaurant to bring worldwide recognition to the Valle, Laja

Info

Laja's Web Site
Facebook

Reviews

The Real Baja
TripAdvisor

Sippity Sup
San Diego City Beat
Laja at 14

Acclaim

50 Best Restaurants


And, how about a quick video

*****

Valle de Guadalupe - Restaurant List

Anthony Bourdain - No Reservations - Baja

I was noodling around YouTube and noticed you could pay ($1.99) to watch episodes of Bourdain's old show on the Travel Channel, No Reservations.  If you're headed to the Valle or just thinking about it, this would be a couple of bucks well spent.

No Reservations - Baja

Baja California Wine Country, a foodie travel destination for 2014

Not much new here (I'm not sure the author even visited the Valle) but a nice article nonetheless.

Voxxi

Menu Report: El Pinar de 3 Mujeres

Ismene posted this weekend's menu on Facebook today.

Hoy en nuestro menú: Sopa de chícharos y habas con menta, Ensaladas de arúgulas y betabeles, Ostiones de San Quintín, Salchichas artesanales, Pescado a la leña, las Costillas de cerdo que tanto han gustado, Quesos locales y los vinos de 3 Mujeres! No dejes de venir a comer rico!

Which my inferior Spanish translates to:

Pea and broad bean with mint soup
Arugala and beet salad
San Quintin oysters
Artesanal sausages
Grilled fish
Pork ribs
Local cheeses
Wines from 3 Mujeres

El Pinar de 3 Mujeres

Menu Report - El Cielo

Back in November we had dinner at the winery El Cielo's restaurant, Latitud 32.  The winery/restaurant had just recently opened its doors and we enjoyed a fantastic meal sitting on their patio on an unusually warm fall evening.  

It is a beautiful venue and they have ambitious plans that include building a boutique hotel on the property.  

Unlike many restaurants in the Valle,  Latitud 32 is open year round seven days a week.  They serve breakfast on Saturdays and Sundays.

We talked briefly with the chef, Ryan Steyn, and learned he was from South Africa, married a woman from Mexico and formerly had a restaurant in Tijuana.  He also pointed out the large organic garden on the property where he was going to source most of his produce.

Anyway, here's the menu from November.

Here's their Facebook page:  El Cielo

*****

Valle de Guadalupe - Restaurant List

Valle de Guadalupe - Winery List

This is a obviously a work in progress.

I've been looking for a comprehensive list of wineries in the Valle since we made our first trip.  When I couldn't find a complete one I decided to start compiling a list.  With a reported 100 or more wineries in the valley I have some work to do.

Here's the list with links to their web sites and/or Facebook pages (updated 5/21/18)

Current List Count = 85

La Ruta VCC+'s Interactive Map

Wineries 

3 Mujeres
Adobe Guadalupe   Trip Advisor  Yelp
Alximia   Trip Advisor  Yelp
ATP y Familia   Facebook
Baron Balche   Trip Advisor
Bibayoff
Bodegas Cieli Winery  Facebook
Bruma
Casta de Vino  Facebook
Cava Mazuelo Facebook
Cava Vintango
Casa Colorada   Facebook
Casa de Piedra
Chateau Camou
Clos de Tres Cantos  Facebook   Report
Concierto Enologico Information - Spanish
Corona del Valle  Facebook
Decantos Vinicola   Facebook   Report
Domecq
Don Tomás Viñedo   Facebook
Dubucano   Facebook
En'kanto   Facebook
Entre Santos
El Cielo
Finca La Carrodilla  Report
Hacienda Guadalupe
Hacienda La Lomita
Hilo Negro y Bodegas   Facebook
JC Bravo
La Casa Vieja
L.A. Cetto   Trip Advisor
Lagrange
Las Nubes   Trip Advisor  Yelp
Legado Sais
Lechuza   Trip Advisor  SipSavorSeeSD
Martlot   Facebook
Madera 5 / Cafe Aragon
Mina Penelope
Minas del Valle
Mogor Badan   Trip Advisor
Monte Xanic   Trip Advisor
Nativo Vinicola
Oviana Vinicola   Facebook
Paralelo
Quinta Monasterio
Rancho Cien Piedras
Rancho Las Laureles
Relieve Vinicola
Rey de Tres  Facebook
Roganto   Facebook
Rondo del Valle
Santo Thomas
Shedeh
Shimul
Sol y Barro
Tintos del Norte 32     More Info
Tres Valles
Tresvista Vineyards   Trip Advisor
Valley Girl Wines
Vena Cava
Villa Montefiori
Vina Emiliana  Facebook
Viñas El Encanto  Facebook
Vinas de la Erre
Viña de Frannes  Facebook  Report
Vinas de Garza   Trip Advisor
Vinas de Liceaga
Vinas del Sol  Facebook
Viñas del Tigre   Facebook
Vinas Tierra Santa  Facebook
Vino de la Reina   Facebook
Vinedos LaFarga
Vinedos Malagnon
Vinícola Mundano   Facebook
Vinícola La Nuestra   Facebook
Vinicola Kastamay
Vinicola Retorno
Vinícola Roa   Facebook (unofficial)
Vinicola Torres Alegre y Familia
Vinos Emeve
Vinos Fuentes
Vinos Los Olea  Facebook
Vinos Pijoan
Vinos Suenos
Vinos Tanama
Xecue   Trip Advisor

10 Surprising Spirits From Around the World - Forbes Magazine

Vinas de Garza received some love from Forbes Magazine.

Forbes Magazine

Tour the Valle de Guadalupe with Club Tengo Hambre

If you are a bit intimidated by the thought of crossing the border, or you would just like to visit the Valle with some like minded folks you might consider a Club Tengo Hambre tour.

Their next trip to the Valle is on April 12.

Details here:  Club Tengo Hambre Tour

Wine Spotting - Vinas de Garza

Almost exactly a year ago my friend Marc and I made our very first trek to the Valle.  It was a one day exploratory visit that really sparked our interest and got us coming back and back and back....  Our very first stop on that very first visit was at Vinas de Garza.  Little did we know it would be one of our very favorite places.

Their tasting room/deck is a great spot for enjoying the Valle

Their Facebook page can be found here:  Vinas de Garza

Chef Miguel Angel Guerrero's Instagram Feed

I just thought I'd recommend following Chef Guerrero on Instagram (@bajamedmiguelangel).  He's taking some very cool pics

The Vines

The View

Malva Cocina de Baja California - A Review

We last visited the Valle de Guadalupe in mid February with our equally Valle obsessed friends, Marc and Valerie.  After an afternoon of visiting wineries around San Antonio de las Minas we had dinner at Chef Roberto Alocer's restaurant Malva Cocina de Baja California.  It's a very cool space.

It just so happened that there was another blogger from San Diego who was sitting a couple tables over.  He really enjoyed his meal.  

His review - Our Best Meal in the Valle

You can find more details of his Valle visit here - eat.drink.give.go

Restaurante Quercus - Menus

I was poking around Facebook and noticed that Quercus (reviewed earlier) had posted pictures of their menus.

Not a lot of breakfast options in the Valle, but Quercus does serve desayuno beginning at 8:00 AM on Saturday and Sunday.

And here is their lunch/dinner menu

Quercus can be found on Facebook here:  Quercus

10 Best Wine Destinations - USA Today

I agree.

USA Today

******
Valle de Guadalupe - Internet Resources

El Cielo - Concert Venue

El Cielo is one of the new kids on the block.  The winery's facility is beautiful, its restaurant, Latitud 32, is top notch, and according to Facebook it will operate as a music venue as well.

Their Facebook page can be found here:  El Cielo Valle de Guadalupe

El Pinar de 3 Mujeres - Now Open!

The Valle is really starting to come back to life.

El Pinar de 3 Mujeres, the seasonal restaurant on the grounds of the 3 Mujeres Winery announced on Facebook today that they are now open for the season.

This is very good news.  We had a terrific meal there last summer.  The prices were extremely reasonable and the chef,  Ismene, was a delight.

The campestre is open on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays only from 1:00 PM to 6:00 PM

Their Facebook page can be found here:  El Pinar de 3 Mujeres

*****

Much more restaurant information can be found here:

Valle de Guadalupe - Restaurant List

La Ruta - VCC+ Smartphone App

La Ruta VCC+ is the group who published the map we used on our last trip, and according to a picture they posted today on Facebook they have a smartphone app coming soon.

La Ruta-VCC+

Wine Spotting - Encuentro Hotel

One of the great pleasures of the Valle is sitting in a beautiful spot enjoying a glass of wine (weird).  So, I thought it might be useful to start a new series of posts highlighting some of our favorite wine spots.

Encuentro is the iconic pod hotel in the Valle.

The lobby/lounge is a nice place....

for Wine Spotting.

You can check it out here - Encuentro Hotel

Photo Essay of the Vena Cava Winery

Designboom has a cool photo essay detailing Alejandro D'Acosta's design of the Vena Cava Winery.

You can find it here: Designboom - Vena Cava

Let's Go Clandestino Tour of the Valle de Guadalupe

Let's Go Clandestino organizes craft beer and culinary tours to Baja.  They are offering a trip to the Valle de Guadalupe April 13 to 15.  Among other items the tour package deal includes transportation, 2 nights at Adobe Guadalupe, a private beer tasting at Agua Mala, and dinner at Malva Cocina de Baja California.

More info can be found here:  Valle de Guadalupe Tour