Valle de Guadalupe

Friendly, unpretentious vineyard owned by the Bibayoff family, Russian Molokans who have operated the rancho since 1931. They produce a range of white and red wines, including an excellent zinfandel and also produce old vine grapes for other wineries.

Bodegas Cieli is a delightful property that recalls the dusty backcountry of Baja, and its rustic tasting room only adds to the charm. The Italian-inspired winery produces a number of reds, whites, and blends of different varietals while the kitchen serves Italian cuisine that matches the wines perfectly. For those more interested in beer than wine, Cieli also operates a small craft brewery producing some interesting ales and a creamy rich stout.

F. Rubio is a young winery, established in 2014, but one that is rapidly building a reputation for fine wines and fine dining in their bistro. Their Herencia white is made from Palomino grapes and is a full-bodied wine with a touch of Chenin Blanc. Their Malbec is aged in French oak for 12 months and has a somewhat dry palate.

Baja's oldest winery offers a wide range of varietals both in Valle de Guadalupe and at their tasting room in Ensenada. They produce a number of red wines, but many people will pick the Alicio Chardonnay as one of the winery's best.

Hugo D’Acosta learned the art of winemaking in France and Italy and today passes on his prodigious knowledge to the next generation of Mexican winemakers while operating one of the most highly regarded wineries in the Valley. Reservations are highly suggested. The restaurant uses locally sourced organic vegetables and locally caught seafood.

The tasting room on La Ruta Vino opened in 2014 but Don Camillo Magoni has been making wine in the Guadalupe Valley for more than 50 years. Magoni began his career at the LA Cetto winery before starting his own vineyard. Today he grows on over 270 acres planted with more than 100 grape varietals. Some of his wines stem from his Italian roots, including a delightful Viognier and a Flano blend, called Manaz.

Stunning contemporary architecture with a round main entry hall built of stone. The wine cellars were carved from the base stone. The winery produces a number of varietals and blends and a few limited edition releases, such as Casta Negra, which is a blend of Nebbiolo and Petit Syrah and is limited to 50 cases per year.

Hilltop winery with outstanding vistas from the outdoor tasting patio. The small scale winery is operated by Jorge Maciel, who opened it in 2009. He produces a number of varietals from known quantities like the ubiquitous Chardonnay to lesser known varietals like Mourvédre, a light easy drinking wine.

Bright, airy, modern winery just off the busy MEX 3 highway. Surprisingly family friendly with a kids play area and several dishes on a kids menu in the restaurant (most wineries seem to assume that wine drinkers never travel with kids). The winery produces an outstanding Chardonnay and several red wines, including Merlot, Malbec, and Tempranillo.

Stylishly beautiful contemporary winery with stunning modern art works at every turn. The wine cellar holds up to 16,000 bottles. The winery has grown so popular that most available wines are fairly young. They produce a clean, oaky Chardonnay, a Tempranillo and Nebbiolo, and several blended wines.

The winery, started in 2014, has been growing into a cluster of buildings that includes the adobe-style tasting room, a restaurant that makes its own ice cream, and a cluster of casitas, cabins that can be rented for overnight (or longer) stays. The winery produces eight standard offerings, each bearing a "Reales" label. Reales #4 is a 100% Sauvignon Blanc. Reales #5, is a 100% Grenache. Reales #2 is a blend of seven grape varietals, aged 15 months in French and American oak.

El Cielo is a large winery, producing over 30,000 cases per year. Their hacienda style facility includes the winery, caves, tasting room, a luxurious boutique hotel, two lakes, and two restaurants: one is an upscale steakhouse, the other a fusion of Baja and Yucatan cuisines. El Cielo produces several levels of wine, the first is made for casual drinking and is typically a younger wine. The Constellations level is more evolved and can stay in the bottle from four to ten years. The Estrellas label represents the premium wines, designed to be cellared and matured from ten to twenty years.

The modern winery features a large tasting room with floor to ceiling glass windows, a subterranean cave where tastings can be arranged by reservation, and fields of neatly tended vines stretching as far as the eye can see. Wines include a 100% Chardonnay aged in Hungarian oak for 4 months, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon aged in French and American oak barrels, and a 100% Malbec aged 12 months in French and American oak barrels.

Founded in 2016, this small winery produces up to 1,200 cases per year. It's a beautiful rustic space with tables and chairs under towering shade trees. The winery produces several varietals and some excellent blends. Their Dazzle wine is light and refreshing, a blend of Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc and Viognier. They have a Merlot, a Cabernet Sauvignon, and a Nebbiolo (which seems to be one of the most popular grape varieties grown in the Guadalupe Valley). Guest rooms are available for overnight stays.

This good-size winery produces 5,000 cases per year and features a rooftop garden that's a green oasis, as well as helping to keep the building cool. Finca la Carrodilla began in 2011 and gets its name from La Virgen de la Carrodilla, an Argentinian saint who watches over vineyards. The winery practices sustainable agricultural practices and grows its grapes organically. It is one of the few wineries in the valley that can label wines as "organic". Varietals include Syrah and Chenin Blanc, and the winery produces several blends.

Hilo Negro is an impressive modern glass and steel winery whose aging cave is burrowed into the earth below the restaurant and tasting rooms, elevated on steel girders like a beach house on stilts. The restaurant is called 'emat, a Kumiai word that encompasses the Earth's spirit with a unity of land and water. It's a farm-to-table restaurant using locally grown produce, grass-fed beef, and artesanal cheeses made in the Guadalupe Valley. White wines are made using varietals like Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier and are usually bottled young. The reds use Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Syrah and are aged, either in French oak barrels, or in stainless steel and then bottle-aged.

Doña Lupe Yi was one of the modern wine pioneers of Guadalupe Valley. The winery opened in 1968 and though its reputation and popularity have grown, the winery itself has remained small, producing only about 1,200 cases per year. It is a popular stop with tour vans from Ensenada, particularly on weekends, though weekdays are quieter. The on-site restaurant is excellent featuring locally sourced ingredients and home-cooked quality. The breads are baked in house and they even have their own artesanal craft brewery. The winery produces a number of notable varietals, both red and white. Reds include Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo, and Barbera.

Small family-run ranch producting natural wines from Misión and Palomino vines planted over 200 years ago. The tasting room is in their historic 1800s adobe home.

L.A. Cetto is the iconic Baja winery. Established in 1928 by Luis Angelo Cetto, the winery is the Guadalupe Valley's largest, oldest, and most successful winery, producing more than 1.2 million cases per year. Most cruise ship winery tours visit L.A. Cetto, which can become a bit chaotic when 2 or more of the big cruise ships are in port at Ensenada. A 1-hour tour is offered and a 1-hour tasting. A premium tasting of their reserve wines demonstrates the finest quality the winery produces.

Founded in 2008, Las Nubes has grown to a mid-size winery producing over 10,000 cases of wine per year. The modern facility uses sustainable methods to grow a wide range of varietals and also purchases "old vine" grapes from other local vineyards. The wines often have whimsical names of clouds, like Cumulus and Cirrus. They grow a large number of varietals, both white and red, including Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Grenache, Cabernet, Syrah, Carignan, and Tempranillo. The upper level includes an expansive outdoor deck with comfortable seating and awnings providing some shade from the bright afternoon sun as steady Pacific breezes keep it comfortably bearable. The lower levels include the production facilities as well as the aging caves, where thousands of oak barrels lie stacked in neat rows in the cool, damp air.

Large, modern winery producing over 60,000 cases per year. The main tasting room includes a covered outdoor tasting deck with comfortable seating amid a rustic natural setting. A more intimate waterfront tasting area can be reserved by special request. A large number of varietals are grown, with Chenin Colombard and Cabernet Sauvignon among the oldest, most mature vines. The wines have earned an international reputation for quality with more than 260 awards received in competitions since their first vintage in 1986.

This small, unpretentious winery will delight travelers who enjoy getting off the beaten path and finding hidden gems. The winery includes a full-service spa and cabanas that can be rented for overnight stays. Located in the foothills along dirt roads, it takes a bit more effort than the wineries clustered on the main highways. Founded in 2006, Quinta Monasterio produce about 7,500 cases annually. The standard tasting session includes a mix of varietals and blends as well as an accompanying cheese platter. Blends include Renata, a blend of Chardonnay and Zinfandel, and Cosecha, a young blend of Cabernet, Tempranillo and Syrah.

Founded in 2005, the winery produces 3,500 cases per year. The winery includes an upscale restaurant called Mixtura that serves innovative Baja Med cuisine with an emphasis on fresh seafood dishes. The main tasting room is a work of art in itself, designed with sharp angles and so much glass that it's impossible not to feel an intimate connection with the outdoor environment. The Chardonnay is blended with 20% Chenin Blanc and aged in concrete tanks. The rose is a blend of Pinot Noir and Malbec (no Granache). Several varietal wines are available including a Cabernet Sauvignon, a Merlot, and a Nebbiolo.

Very modern winery, opened in 2014, with a contemporary architecture facility that's all stone, glass, and steel. If you come during harvest time the main tasting room is taken over by a conveyor belt feeding the de-stemming equipment. You can taste the wines while observing that first step of the winemaking process as bushels of grapes are loaded off trucks at one end of the building. The Travesí is a deep ruby red blend of Merlot, Cabernet and Malbec. The Morador is a premium label that varies by vintage, it blends Merlot, Cabernet, Sauvignon, and Syrah.

This small, family-run winery opened in 1997 and produces 5,000 cases per year and reflects humble beginnings from just before the boom in small wineries hit. It reflects a passion that's almost more hobby than business, though the stability of its operation attests to the quality of its wines. It's a startling contrast to the valley's bevy of over-funded technology-heavy glass and stainless wine labs. The family built their cave from adobe, by hand. They crush grapes using a wooden press, by hand. The Pa Abola is a blend of Barbera and Tempranillo with 6 months in American and French oak. Mezcla Bordelega is a French-inspired red blend of Cab Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that ages 12 months in American and French oak and one to several years in the bottle. The house signature wine, labeled Retorno, is a blend of 90% Grenache and a hint of Syrah, aged 2 years in the barrel and one year in the bottle.

Shhh! This is a secret for the serious wine cognoscienti. Shimul doesn't shout out their presence: you won't find any blue and white signs guiding you off the freeway, and you won't find posted hours for tastings. No cruise ship tours visit Shimul. You might find some online reviews for Shimul, but only a handful compared to the hundreds, or even thousands for neighboring wineries. The owners like it that way. Since 2000, they have been producing less than 1,500 cases per year. L.A. Cetto might be the biggest winery in the Valley, but Shimul would rather be the best. The winery grows varietals that other growers in the area shun, such as the Mision grape, which is a heritage varietal with a reputation for being labor-intensive to grow. They also age their wines for longer times than neighboring wineries, and using more complex regimens, sometimes involving two or three barrels of different type woods, or using second-use barrels rather than new barrels.

Founded in 2012, the winery produces 3,000 cases per year. It's located at the end of a canyon, down a long dirt road that ends in the valley's largest grove of old-growth California oak. The wines include a 100% Mourvédre that's aged in French oak and an interesting 50-50 blend of the Mourvédre with Petit Verdot. The winery's flagship wine, labeled "O Positivo", is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.

Founded in 2002, the small winery produces about 3,500 cases per year. It is a quirky place with eclectic sculptures of iron and wood, like the lizard near the entranceway or the spider in the tasting room. The wines are serious business though. Jala is a light white wine that's a blend of Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. Maat is made with old growth Granache and aged 12 months in French and American oak. The Sangiovese is an Italian varietal with a floral bouquet.

The vineyards are actually operating on other days, but are usually booked for events and large tour groups. You can sometimes arrange to get in by calling ahead. The winery is an interesting place because they are very small (producing only about 300 cases per year) and because they focus on the Tempranillo varietal. When you sample their wines you will probably be doing vertical tastings of different years of the Tempranillo.

The folks at Vena Cava are taking sustainability to a new level with their eclectic new winery built largely of reclaimed, errr, junk. Like the ceiling of their tasting room built of abandoned boats from the port of Ensenada. It's definitely a conversation starter. Let's talk wines. They have some straightforward varietals, like a 100% Granache, but quite a few blends, like an 80% Sauvignon Blanc with 20% Chenin Blanc, or a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah.

The Rocha family had owned the land for more than three decades before deciding to start a vineyard in 2014. It's a charming small winery that produces 1,500 cases per year. Their Mezcla de la Erre is a complex blend of cabernet sauvignon, merlot, tempranillo and zinfandel---it earned the winery a silver medal in San Francisco. It is a wine that draws well outside the lines of traditional French (or even U.S.) conventions. So does their wine Selección de Tintos Reserve, a blend of cabernet franc, petit verdot, merlot and cabernet sauvignon aged 28 months in French oak.

This family-run vineyard is one of the larger artesanal wineries, producing over 9,000 cases of wine per year. The property is immaculately landscaped with the tasting area atop a hill with soft breezes blowing through the spacious outdoor tasting pavilion. There is no restaurant on site, putting the focus squarely on the wine itself. Three different tasting packages are offered, differing by the quantity and quality of wines you want to sample. Chances are good that your tasting will be guided by one of the owners, who love to share their passion for wine and Baja with visitors. Wines may include a Chardonnay aged 10 months in French oak, a blend of Grenache and Tempranillo, or perhaps the Especial Edition blend of Grenache Syrah and Mourvédre.

This vineyard was once part of the Rancho Malagón where Russian immigrants farmed the land in the 20th century. The winery opened in 2000 marking a new industry for a new millennium. Wineries are the name of the game in the Guadalupe Valley these days. Viñedos Malagón has been quite successful among the wine startups and now produces over 5,000 cases of wine per year. The property includes an upscale boutique bed-and-breakfast with spacious rooms decorated in bright colors with rustic pine furniture. The wines are graced with whimsically named labels, like Whistling Donkey, a 100% Nebbiolo, or Tinto a blend of five varietals. A craft brewery is also on premises under the name Cerveceria El Destino.

Owners Jose Luis and his wife Alberta split the workload 50-50, he grows the grapes, she makes the wine. Together, they welcome visitors to their modernistic young winery. Opened in 2004, they produce about 4,000 cases of wine per year. The winery includes an elegant restaurant serving regional Baja cuisine and rooms are available for overnight stays. A variety of wines can be sampled including Kumeey, a blend of 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 25% Merlot and 25% Cab Frac. Kekoo, is a 100% Grenache varietal, Relato is a blend of Cab, Merlot, Tempranillo, and Nebbiolo