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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.
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This is a 1-stop family weekend playground. The zoo area includes camels, tigers, flamingoes and more. There are several pools, a splash pad, and a shallow wading pool for the tiniest tots. Palapas with picnic tables and barbecue grills. No alcoholic beverages allowed.
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.
Museo Comunitario Ruso del Valle de Guadalupe
Between 1904 and 1906, 350 Russians from the Caucasus region, settled here, and began cultivating wheat, barley, vegetables, and wine grapes. They were fleeing the Russo-Japanese war and seeking to freely practice their religion, which was Christian but unorthodox. The museum offers an overview of the migration, foundation and daily life of the Russian colony in Valle de Guadalupe.
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.
Stay in the old hacienda lodge, take a horseback ride of the estate, dine in the patio restaurant, and taste the estate wines. Volume: 7,000-8,000 cases/year, wine tasting: M$200-M$300, Groups of 4 to 20 require reservations
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.