Top 12 Wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja Mexico
Top 12 Wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja Mexico
If you’re a wine lover like me, you’ll probably like to learn more about the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico.
Mexico was the first country in the Americas to start producing wine in the 15 century.
The Valle de Guadalupe has become very popular for its wine tourism, where you will discover all about winemaking in the Baja peninsula.
You will learn about the vines, the process, the bottling, and many tastings. Delicious!
Where are the Valle de Guadalupe Wineries?
The Valle de Guadalupe is in Baja California, about 40 minutes from Ensenada, 2 hours from the U.S. border, and three and a half hours from San Felipe.
It has the necessary climate, soil, and wind characteristics to create some of the best wines in the country.
Valle de Guadalupe produces 90% of the wines in all of Mexico, with around 10,000 hectares of cultivation with approximately 73 wineries.
Ensenada is known as the capital of Mexican wine.
Besides offering you the best vineyards, it provides a variety of gastronomic dishes to delight your palate.
It also offers other tourist attractions such as museums, beaches, and adventure tourism.
12 Best Wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
1. L.A. Cetto Winery in Valle de Guadalupe
This is one of the most extensive vineyards in the Guadalupe Valley in Ensenada, Baja California. Founded under the initiative of Don Angelo Cetto.
It is a winery with European tradition, and the third generation was the one who opened the international sales department.
It is important to mention that it was the first winery in the Guadalupe Valley.
According to the L.A.CETTO website, they export to around 17 countries, thus covering 24 cities, significantly benefiting the wines and achieving the best possible quality.
Among its red wines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, Petite Sirah, and Zinfandel; in whites, they have Fume Blanc, Blanc de Blancs, Chardonnay, and Chenin Blanc.
In their private reserves, they have the white Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Nebbiolo in the reds.
You may want to read: TOP 11 Hotels in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California in 2023
Now let’s talk about what this vineyard offers because you can take a tour and learn about the aging process, bottling, and maturation.
You can try three tastings: the traditional one, four Reserve wines, Reserva Privada, and Don Luis Premium.
They offer wine sales, public events, personal or group tastings, tours, and scheduled events.
Can you imagine getting married in a vineyard?
2. Monte Xanic: One of my favorite wineries in Valle de Guadalupe
Monte Xanic comes from the Nahuatl word for house, and Xa is the abbreviation for Xanic.
Monte Xanic vineyard in Baja California was created in 1987, changing the history of Mexican wine, producing the first premium vintage, and giving recognition to the Guadalupe Valley in Baja California.
They are the third winery with the highest value in the wine industry in the country, thanks to the commitment and professionalism of the product.
An important fact is that Monte Xanic received the ISO 9001:2015 certification in its harvesting, production, and shipping processes. It also has superior technology.
Find the best places to stay in Valle de Guadalupe
You can observe the reception room and tasting bar during your tour. This is for a welcome so that later the elaboration process can begin.
In the wine cellar, you will learn about the history of the different vintages and the private collection of the winery.
In addition, the tour lasts approximately 30 minutes. One of its events is the grape harvest during the first weekend in August.
Among its wines, Gran Ricardo, a success and limited edition of 850 cases per vintage, was rated with 90 points by Wine Enthusiast, an international magazine.
In addition to red wines, you will also find whites and rosés, including limited-edition wine.
It is open Monday through Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00 hrs.
3. Baron Balche
Its beginnings date back to 1997 when the owner, Baron Balche, set the goal of building 32 hectares with abandoned vines.
In 2001, the very first labels were released:
- Zinfandel
- Special Reserve
- Double Blanc
- Grenache
- Tempranillo
In 2004, Premium wines were launched.
One of its best wines is the red label, a blend of Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Carignan grapes. Representatives of this series are Double Blanc and Clarette.
Of course, these wines have won around 27 medals in the Ensenada Tierra del Vino International Competition, of which 23 are gold and the others are silver.
Among its activities, it offers five tasting packages. They include a vineyard tour, a cellar area, a talk with a winemaker, and the tasting.
In Valle de Guadalupe vineyards, you can hold any event as in Baron Balche, from celebrating your birthday business meetings, and weddings.
4. Pedro Domecq Vineyard
Among the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe is Pedro Domecq, founded in 1972. But in 2018, a renovation was made to the winery to give a better experience.
This remodeling included a museum and a digital mapping that tells the history of this wine and the arrival of the first European missionaries in this region, extending up to 10 hectares.
One of its best-known products is XA, which includes the Blanc de Blancs blend and a single varietal Cabernet Sauvignon. Several other labels were renovated.
Find the best places to stay in Valle de Guadalupe
At Casa Pedro Domecq in Ensenada, you can have the experience of visiting the vineyards, enjoying wines and cheeses, and picking and pressing grapes.
The production of this winery is mainly for the domestic market.
On the other hand, the exhibition shown in the museum is machinery with historical value brought from Spain.
The opening hours of this vineyard are from Monday to Sunday except for Wednesday; the rest of the days are from 10:00 to 18:00 hrs. Don’t forget to take pictures of the impressive views.
5. La Lomita Winery, Valle de Guadalupe
La Lomita is a relatively young vineyard, beginning its history as Hacienda La Lomita by Fernando Perez Castro, to whom his wife gave him a hectare on his birthday.
The Sacro and Pagano are among its representative wines, where the Sacro was the first with a Merlot grape.
With this grape, he started this vineyard; after extensive research, Fernando saw that he needed a winemaker.
For this reason, he turned to Reynaldo Rodriguez who lived in La Rioja.
Now let’s talk about their labels, which are three; where the first one is a gold label with a Sacro wine.
Within the same gold label is the Pagano wine with a 100% Grenache varietal, and finally, they have the Singular red wine, for which the best grapes of the harvest are selected.
Among its activities, you can tour the property and experience the harvest, winery, and cellar; ending with a pairing dinner or with its tasting service, do not miss it.
6. Decantos Vinicola Valle de Guadalupe
As I said in the beginning, the vineyards of the Guadalupe Valley are where the best Mexican wines come from.
That is why Mexico is also recognized as France, Spain, and Italy in the best winemaking.
Decantos, why the name? Its name is given to reference the elaboration process of these wines since they are made by decanting or gravity to eliminate the mechanical process.
A curious fact is that this winery was the first to carry out this process from when the grapes are harvested until the wine is bottled. Its creator is the winemaker Alfonso Granados.
Therefore, it has twenty hectares, ten steel tanks, 360 barrels in an aging room, and two lakes where the carbonic maceration wine is made, with a capacity of 120,000 liters.
It has three brands of wines: Young Line, Reserve Line, and Premium Line, and each of them has an attractive label and unique character.
One of its labels or wines that people talk about is the carbonic maceration red wine, a fresh and pleasant wine to the palate, and the other is the Carignan with an elegant intensity.
Among its services, it offers tastings that vary in price, and you can choose from three to four wines.
In addition to a tour of the vineyards that cannot be missed, it is a special event.
7. El Cielo: One of the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe
The founder of this winery is Mr. Gustavo Ortega Joaquín, and he has around 103 hectares of vineyards with 12 varieties of French, Italian, and Napa Valley origin.
According to many wine experts, El Cielo is considered one of the ten best Mexican wines with excellent quality at an affordable price.
Another peculiarity it has is its labels’ names, such as Astros, Astronomers, Constellations, and Stars.
This vineyard has solar panels, which was recognized as the first Eco responsible company in 2005.
Don’t forget to visit it and taste these interesting wines.
8. Santo Tomas winery
Although the Santo Tomas Valley is not exactly in Valle de Guadalupe, it deserves special mention.
Founded in 1888 as the oldest winery in the region, this vineyard has a history since it was the first place merchandise was unloaded.
The main protagonists were Don Andonaegui and Ormart, who saw an opportunity in this place.
It was not until the Porfirian era of industrialization that this winery began to come to life.
In the same way as the modern era of viticulture, where it has been reinvented many times due to the changes of owners, but where the objective is the same the enological innovation.
This winery has three cellars: Vinícola Santo Tomas, where you will have a unique experience touring the vineyards in the company of music, history, and charm.
Cava San Antonio de las Minas where you will learn the winemaking process and how to create a wine.
By the way, one of my favorite wines of all time is the Santo Tomas Tempranillo. You must try it!
9. Garza Vineyards
The owners of this project are Amado and Ana Garza, a 100% family project.
Currently, there are nine hectares, and another five are under development.
Their first wines were Amado IV and Rancho Mogorcito red, but currently, they have ten labels with excellent results, some reds, and other whites.
Its hours are from Friday to Sunday from 11:00 am to 4:30 pm, where you can tour the vineyards and, of course, the tasting.
You can attend with or without an appointment; the goal is to visit this vineyard where you will feel like part of the family.
10. Villa Montefiori
This Villa begins with the Paoloni family in Le Marche, in the center of Italy, near Tuscany. He arrived in Mexico in 1985 to manage a winery in Aguascalientes.
But in 1997, he opened his winemaking company, acquiring a 38-hectare plot of land in Toros Pintos.
Thus founding Villa Montefiori and planting vineyards of different varietals.
Currently, the winery has three brands: Montefiori, Villa Montefiori, and Paoloni, of which the first has five labels and the second one.
As a result, the last one is the most awarded with four labels which are a tribute to the senses.
Remember that their premium wines are a little more expensive but worth it.
The opening hours are Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00; among its services, there’s a parking lot, a restaurant, a winery tour, and a tasting.
11. Las Nubes vineyards in the Guadalupe Valley
The beginnings of this winery date back to 2008, with a total of 20 hectares, of which today there are 30. Starting also with a few varietals, both red and white.
Among the white wines, they have the Kuiiy; in rosé, they have the Jaak.
The reds include Young Reds, Reserva, and Gran Reserva.
Despite not having so many wines, they are well-known nationally and internationally. You can visit this vineyard from Monday to Sunday from 11:00 to 17:00.
Don’t forget to take amazing pictures to remember this tour, your stay, and wine tastings. I highly recommend it.
12. La Carrodilla
This vineyard was born to create a different wine with a biodynamic agriculture technique.
This is a sustainable approach to agriculture. It arises as a dream.
It is the dream of the Pérez Castro family, who are the owners of La Lomita, a vineyard I mentioned before
Besides being a vineyard, it is also an orchard and animal husbandry.
That’s right! They harvest kale, lettuce, spinach, carrots, garlic, beet, chives, and chard, among many other vegetables. It has 40 thousand vine plants.
In addition, the farmyard has cows, sheep, chickens, and bees, among others.
They take advantage of everything they generate from these living beings, from eggs to their feces.
Now let’s talk about its wines, which is why this estate is on this list of the best wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, as it produces four single-varietal wines with each type of grape from this vineyard.
Their pride is the red Canto de Luna wine, a perfectly balanced label.
When is the best time to visit Valle de Guadalupe?
To visit this place any month is good; you have to consider the temperatures, which range from 40°C to 5°C, depending on the year’s season.
But visiting the vineyards is recommended from April to November.
Find the best places to stay in Valle de Guadalupe
The vineyards can be observed in their green tonality.
However, between June and October, they are full of grapes; remember that the harvesting process is seasonal, so sometimes you will see the vineyards dry.
Again, you can do wine tastings in most vineyards, and the cost will vary depending on the package you choose. The most important thing is to enjoy. Vamonos!
