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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.
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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.
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.
Museo de la Vid y Vino
Modern museum inaugurated in 2012 as a monument to viticulture. Descend into the galleries as if you are entering a wine cellar, one where exhibits showcase production methods, grape varieties, climate and environmental contributions to the terroir of the regions wines, and information about the many vineyards of the region. Tastings are a given. This is a great first stop on a wine tour because it provides local intelligence about the area and includes up-to-date details about the ever-growing number of local artesanal wineries.
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.
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.
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.