Valle de Guadalupe - city in Ensenada Municipality, Baja California, Mexico

Valle de Guadalupe is in Mexico outside the city of Ensenada and is the premier wine producing region of Mexico. It is a popular tourist destination for wine and Baja Med cuisine, a fusion of Mexican cuisine and Asian cuisine.

Understand

Cities include San Antonio de Las Minas, Francisco Zarco, and Porvenir.

The Valle de Guadalupe is equivalent to two-thirds of the Napa Valley in size and the climatic conditions are very similar to those of the French southwest. It has a Mediterranean microclimate that is conducive to winemaking activities. Around 90% of the wines from all of Mexico are produced in the Valle de Guadalupe.

Climate

Its climate is Mediterranean, a little more extreme due to its distance from the coast (25 km). It has very hot and dry summers, without rain but with a breeze at night from the coast, mild and slightly cold, humid winters, the rainy season is between November and March. Temperatures are generally stable throughout the year, however when the direction of the winds changes from the continent to the sea, temperatures can rise well above normal whatever the time of year. This condición santana phenomenon generally affects northern Baja California and southern California, and generally lasts 2 to 4 days.

Get in

It is 20 km (12 mi) north of the City of Ensenada and 113 20 km (70 mi) southeast of the border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana. A better route might be to take the Ruta de Vino, MEX 3, south from Tecate (from San Diego, cross the border at Garita de Otay, then take MEX 2D east towards Tecate before turning south onto MEX 3).

Get around

See

• Russian Community Museum of the Guadalupe Valley (Museo Comunitario Ruso del Valle de Guadalupe), 276 Valle de Guadalupe, +52 646 1552 030. Tu-Su 10:00 - 17:00. 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. By donation 2021-05-30

Do

Since the 1990s the association of winemakers of Baja California holds the Grape Harvest Fiestas in the Valley of Guadalupe and the town of Ensenada every year in August. The celebration includes wine tasting sessions, concerts and soirées, and samplings of regional cuisine and Mexican wines.

Buy

Eat

Budget: $5-14, mid-range: $15-30, splurge: $31+ (meal for one + soft drink).

Baja Med is a term conceived by Chef Miguel Ángel Guerrero that refers to a fusion of Mexican cuisine, such as chicharrón and cotija cheese, with those of Mediterranean, such as olive oil, and Asian cuisine, such as lemongrass. Baja Med dishes showcase the fresh produce and seafood of Baja California.

Valle de Guadalupe has a great number of excellent places to eat, most are tucked away within the wineries on bumpy dirt roads. You can get high end farm-to-table food, fresh seafood from the coast, and affordable Mexican food of course. These places are scattered around the Valley, so grab a car or bike and get out for a great bite to eat.

Budget

• Familia Samarin (Russian place), Principal 276, Francisco Zarco, 22750 Guadalupe, B.C., Mexico, 32.090885°, -116.583821°, +52 646 155 2030. Rustic restaurant, nice menu, wine and cheese tasting room, and a little garden with chickens and a couple of animals that kids will enjoy. The Russian Community Museum is part of the complex, with a simple home of Russian Molokan settlers outfitted as it would have been. US$10 per person without alcohol

Mid-range

Splurge

Groceries, gourmet and take-out

Wine country is plentiful with fresh grown food, artisan cheeses, and other tasty morsels year around. This section is for those who want to "cook on the road," whether camping, renting a house, or perhaps just in the mood for a picnic.

Drink

Wine tasting is available year-round, and several of the wineries have built up-market restaurant and tasting establishments aimed specifically at tourists from the United States. A winery tour is usually included on cruise ships that stop at Ensenada. There are over 100 wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe.

Sleep

Stay safe

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