Jul 31, 20184 min read

Ruta de Vino! Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico

Usually when people think of Mexico they think of beach clubs and tequila shots... and while my inner 20 year old self just did a shimmy shoulder shake at the thought of both of those amazing things, my 31 year old grown up self (or so I'd like to think) is looking for a little more from a vacation destination these days. As an avid traveler of Baja California, Mexico I have seen a lot of the amazing activities and places it has to offer, Valle de Guadalupe being one of my favorites! Valle de Guadalupe is often compared to Napa 50 years ago at a more rustic and primal state. Valle de Guadalupe is off of a partial dirt road, Ruta de Vino (Route of Wine) which is located 90 miles south of San Diego. Besides the extremely convenient location, El Valle (the valley) is seriously one of the most beautiful, newly developed places with the most elaborate and delicious food and wine selection that Mexico has to offer.

As a little summer get away, my boyfriend Martin and I decided to take some time exploring Baja and spend a couple days in Valle de Guadalupe. We had been once before, in 2017 for a wedding, which was probably the most gorgeous and fun wedding that Mexico has ever seen, but due to wedding events we didn't get to explore too much. This trip, we stayed in El Valle two nights and let me tell you... it was definitely NOT enough!

We stayed at Hotel Boutique Valle de Guadalupe which houses the well known restaurant, Fuego. It is a gorgeous property that has a good amount of activities on-site. Horse back riding, ATV rentals, 2 pools, 2 jacuzzi hot tubs, firepits, and complimentary breakfast are some of the perks of staying at Hotel Boutique. Since most of the wineries and restaurants close fairly early (between 4pm-8pm), it was important for us to have some evening activities to partake in at wherever we were going to stay. After spending the early portion of the evenings in the jacuzzi, we were able to pay $11 at the front desk for our own firepit/wood and crack open a bottle of wine (which we purchased at the winery we had visited earlier that day) until the wee hours of the night, which was perfect for star gazing!

After our first night in Valle, I may or may not have had a little too much fun... lol. Let's just say it was a rough morning the next day which was intended to be a long day of wine tasting. We managed to get it together in time to visit El Adobe, a winery which was a short dirt road away from our hotel. Wine tasting included 5 different bottles to try for $10 a person. El Adobe also conveniently has one of the most amazing food trucks that I've ever been to parked adjacent to the front doors of the winery with beautiful outdoor seating and vineyards surrounding the premises. The wine tasting started off with a Rose' (which was delicious) and worked its way to more complex reds ending with a spicy Cabernet Sauvignon. My absolute favorite was a red blend called Miguel. Miguel is a variation of Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon, Grenache, and Merlot aged 10 months in French and American Oak..... DROOL!!!!! The food pairings from the food truck made each taste even better! We were able to have our tastings and try the Spanish Ham & Cheese Croquettes, Camarones al Ajillo (basically a bucket of garlic shrimp), and a Tabla de Quesos (assorted homemade cheese plate) at the same time. I am literally not exaggerating by saying these three items made my entire trip! The croquettes were a gift from the heavens above and were served with homemade mayo basil pesto cream which added so much flavor! The garlic shrimp was a large quantity and as juicy as they could have been, served with fresh French baguettes. Finally, the assorted cheese plate was ALL HOMEMADE cheeses (mozzarella, jalapeño jack, sharp cheddar) sprinkled with the winery's homemade extra virgin olive oil and fresh rosemary, and last but not least goat cheese topped with homemade apricot jelly... I'm crying thinking about how happy my palate was that day!

After our stop at El Adobe, we headed towards the well known restaurant, Finca Altozano. Unfortunately, we were way too full from our tapas plate to order a full meal, which I completely regret! However, we were able to hit up their sister food truck, Lupe's Lonches de Valle which specialize in TORTAS. We shared an amazing 20 hour, espresso marinated brisket torta and took in the gorgeous Valle views. Next trip I want to have a full lunch or dinner at the main restaurant, the food and wine selection looked phenomenal!