Monte Xanic is one of Valle de Guadalupe's oldest wineries — Photo courtesy of Beth Reiber
For Tru and Don Miller, it was divine providence that led them to Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe 25 years ago. Interested in starting a winery, the couple had conferred with their son about the possibilities of Napa or Sonoma. But then their son, who loved not only wine but also Mexico and its patron saint Our Lady of Guadalupe, died tragically in a car accident.
“Two things, wine and Guadalupe, reminded me of my son and brought me here,” Tru Miller reminisced on a recent sunny morning in the courtyard of her Adobe Guadalupe Vineyards and Inn, which offers wine tastings, six guest rooms, an outdoor pool and Azteca horses for rides among the vineyards. “25 years ago, there was nothing here, only three wineries in the area and a village of Russians and Mexicans. This land, with only cows and watermelon, belonged to a Russian who wanted to sell.”
Adobe Guadalupe Vineyards and Inn celebrates its 25th anniversary this year — Photo courtesy of Beth Reiber
Today, Valle de Guadalupe, located in northern Baja about 90 miles from San Diego and 25 miles from Ensenada, is the unquestionable queen of Mexican wines. Together with neighboring Valle de Ojos Negros, Valle de Santo Tomas and Valle de San Vicente, the region boasts more than 100 wineries and produces 90% of Mexico’s wine. Valle de Guadalupe, however, is the heart of wine country, with the most wineries, accommodations and restaurants. Here, too, is the Museo de la Vid y el Vino, a museum devoted to Baja winemaking. Its adjoining tourist kiosk offers maps and information on wineries, restaurants and more.
Mexican viticulture, the cultivation and harvesting of grapes, dates back centuries with the arrival of Spanish conquistadors and Jesuit and Dominican missionaries. In northern Baja, wine production ramped up in 1791 at a mission in Valle de Santo Tomas, followed in 1834 by Valle de Guadalupe’s Northern Mission of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Viticulture came to a halt in the mid-19th-century, however, after Mexico’s War of The Reform led to the confiscation of church property and abandonment of vineyards. That may have been the end of Baja’s wine story if not for a group of religious pacifists known as the Molokans, who had fled czarist Russia and settled in Valle de Guadalupe in 1904, reestablishing vineyards and selling to the local population.
Then again, maybe winemaking in Valle de Guadalupe was inevitable. Its arid, desert-like climate and proximity to the Pacific Ocean make for hot days and cool nights, perfect for growing grapes. Its soil of decomposed granite provides good drainage and stresses vines, necessary for viticulture. Red varietals like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, tempranillo, syrah, grenache, nebbiolo and mourvedre grow especially well. Valle de Ojos, which has a slightly higher elevation, is better suited to whites like chardonnay, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc and viognier, but the region also produces reds.
Casa Frida has a tasting room, restaurants, covered outdoor seating and a rooftop bar — Photo courtesy of Beth Reiber
Wineries are as varied as the people who own and work them. Many are boutique operations, producing just three or four different wines often available only onsite or locally. Some are estate wineries (using grapes exclusively from their own vineyards), while others buy from regional growers. Some focus on varietals (made from a single grape), but blends are also hugely popular. Most are Mexican-owned, but there are many stories of international visitors who stayed to open wineries. Some require reservations (tastings average about US$20), while others accept walk-ins. French oak is the barrel of choice for aging red wines and most grapes are harvested by hand, generally around August.
There are only two paved roads through Valle de Guadalupe, which makes travel to most wineries a slow adventure on rutted, dirt roads (luckily, signs point the way). Hemmed in by boulder-strewn mountains, the valley is crisscrossed with neat rows of vineyards and groves of olive trees, interspersed with scrub brush, oak trees and, in cultivated areas, palm trees, fruit trees and agave. A few dusty villages offer necessities, with the requisite lanky dogs dozing in the streets.
Two of the oldest wineries are L.A. Cetto, founded in 1928 by an Italian immigrant and passed down through generations, and Monte Xanic, established in 1987 by five friends and an undisputed leader in award-winning wines. You won’t get past Monte Xanic’s guarded front gate without a reservation, which includes a tour of its facilities and tastings on a covered hillside patio with sweeping views of a palm-fringed human-made lake, vineyards and distant hills.
One of several outdoor spaces to enjoy the view at Finca Altozano — Photo courtesy of Beth Reiber
Solar Fortun is a second-generation boutique estate winery now under the helm of brothers Javier and Santiago Lopez (the latter studied wine at California's UC Davis). Isolated at the dead end of a bumpy dirt road, it offers outdoor tastings under the shade of sprawling oaks, as well as a playground for youngsters. Vena Cava is a boutique winery founded in 2005 by transplants Eileen and Phil Gregory and bills itself as the “hippest winery in Mexico.” That’s due in no small part to its eye-catching cellar and tasting rooms built from reclaimed fishing boats and other recycled materials and organic wines.
You can also sample wine without joining a tasting. Bodegas Magoni – which produced wines for 15 years for family and friends before going public in 2013 – offers tastings, and heading to tables sheltered under the umbrella of an ancient oak and sharing a bottle feels like you’re still part of a family. Casa Frida, which pays homage to artist Frida Kahlo with its electric-blue walls and artwork, has tastings, but most people come for a meal at one of its two restaurants or for drinks on the outdoor terrace or rooftop bar.
Many wineries offer food, including Adobe Guadalupe and Vena Cava, both with excellent food trucks, and Solar Fortun with an outdoor country grill. Book in advance for Finca Altozano, which serves fresh seafood and steaks in a dreamy setting overlooking the valley, its garden, meandering pathways and an enclosure of goats.
Several wineries also offer accommodations, including hotels, little houses and even glamping.
Encuentro Guadalupe is one of many wineries offering tastings, food and accommodations — Photo courtesy of Beth Reiber
But while Valle de Guadalupe still exudes a low-key, rustic atmosphere, the word is out. Banyan Tree Valle de Guadalupe Resort, Spa and Winery will open in 2023 as a 30-villa luxury resort. A new airport is planned for Valle de Ojos Negros. In autumn 2022, some 1,000 wine professionals from more than 40 countries will descend in Ensenada for the 43rd World Congress of Vine and Wine.
Betting on the future, Tru Miller of Adobe Guadalupe recently purchased almost 200 acres in Valle de Ojos Negros for cultivating white grapes. “It’s good that there’s an enormous amount of land in Ojos Negros,” she said, adding that there were only four wineries there. “Because it will be needed.”
