Ep. 12 – Valle de Guadalupe

Breaking Español

We’re so excited to share with you our recent trip down to Valle de Guadalupe! If you’re not familiar, this is Baja’s burgeoning wine country that sits just east of Ensenada about 1.5hrs south of San Diego.

For the drive down we took the 1D freeway which is a toll road because it is generally free of traffic and well maintained. This freeway also runs along the mostly undeveloped coastline of Baja which is beautiful.

After arriving we were blown away by how many wineries (vinicolas) and restaurants are there. Valle is home to 110 wineries and some of the best restaurants in the world. Our first stop was at Lechuza winery which was unfortunately closed due to an upcoming festival and being completely booked.

After trying a couple other wineries we discovered that during this month (Fiesta de Vendimia) most wineries are only open on Saturday and Sunday for tasting or by appointment only. Make sure to check before heading down!

For a late lunch / early dinner we were fortunate to get a table at Deckman’s restaurant. This place is amazing. Deckmans is on a Mogor-Badan farm and vineyard so it is beautiful and the food is some of the best you’ll ever have. We enjoyed a cinco tiempo degustacíon (5 course tasting) of ostras (oysters), scallops (vieiras), qual (cordoniz), succling pig (lechon asado), helado con fresa (strawberry ice cream) that hit the spot.

Beyond just the food, the wine from Mogor and the beer from nearby Agua Mala was incredible and we ended up buying a bottle to bring back.

After Deckman’s we visited Adobe Guadalupe and enjoyed some more tastings and yes, more food. We can’t really over hype how great the food is down there. No matter your preference you’ll be happy with what you find.

We wish we had more time down there than just one day but will undoubtedly return again, maybe on one of the great tour options. Enjoy!

Palabras Espanolas (Spanish Words)

• Mariscos = Seafood
• Vinicolas = Wineries
• Degustación = Tasting

Consejos (Tips)

• Before you head down, find the vineyards you want to visit or checkout our map here (TODO: Add link to map)
• Star the ones you like, then in Google maps on your phone, browse to Gudalupe and create an offline map here’s how
• This allows you to navigate to your favorite locations even in offline mode
• We ended up driving but there are many tours available from San Diego down to Valle as well as many small bed and breakfast places.

Mas

• Clandestino Tours
• Deckman’s en el Mogor
• Adobe Guadalupe
• Endémico Hotel and Restaurant