GUADALUPE VALLEY WINE TASTING

We took this excursion to a region in Baja California northeast of Ensenada known as Guadalupe Valley with DayTripper.

 A stop was made along the coastal highway after passing by Tijuana at the Rosarito Beach Hotel that was established in 1925 which became a popular resort for royalty and Hollywood stars.  By 1950 land sales soared in Rosarito Beach and the town began to take shape with the addition of shops and restaurants.  Since the 1990s there has been appreciable construction of hotels, condominiums and shopping centers. 

Hotel murals

 The fishing village of Puerto Nuevo is 15 miles south of Rosarito and is famous for its fresh lobster that is fried and served with rice and beans at the local restaurants. Before approaching Ensenada is Puerto Escondido Bay where there are large circular pens that are used for farming Blue Fin Tuna.

  The bus trip continued inland just north of Ensenada through a rather dry area before reaching the lush vineyards of Guadalupe Valley.  The region has a perfect wine growing climate with warm weather, cool nights, a consistant marine layer and sandy soil. The first grapes were planted at a Franciscan mission established in  l834.  In 1904 a group of Russian immigrants came to Guadalupe Valley to avoid the Czarist army draft and  they acquired land to plant grape vines.

Our first stop in Guadalupe Valley was at L.A. Cetto which was founded by an Italian, Angelo Cetto, in 1980 and is the largest wine producer in  Mexico.  Since it was a rainy day we were served lunch in a private dining room rather than outdoors on the terrace. We enjoyed a 3 course meal with a green salad, an entrée with carne asada, pigeon, rice, beans and tortillas followed by watermelon and papaya.  Red and white wines  were at the tables to accompany the meal.    

    After tasting some of their wines we had time to check out the main tasting and sales room.  

 

We also stopped at La Casa de Dona Lupe which is a boutique winery that specializes in organic wines, olive oil and jams.  A shelter was set up outside for our group for wine tasting. They also had samples of their special pizzas and gourmet breads that we dipped in flavored olive oil.  We also sampled some of their specialty products and more wines inside the sales room .  On a nice day one can enjoy sitting at tables in the patio.

 On the return trip back along the coast the rain finally let up to end the day with a  double rainbow and a beautiful sunset.

 

A final stop was made in Tijuana at a liquor shop with some sampling of Tequila and other spritis.

After ending the tour in  San Diego we topped off  the day with a Mexican dinner at Su Casa in La Jolla