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Mexico's valley of wine
http://www.sacbee.com/livinghere/story/2439745.html
By Mike Dunne
Jan. 6, 2010
VALLE DE GUADALUPE, Mexico – Hot, dusty, rattled by rocks and ruts of the road, and as confused as lost conquistadors, we slump into chairs at the
reception office of the inn Adobe Guadalupe.
Minerva Cerda, graciously bearing dewy glasses of a bright rosé, materializes immediately through a side door. With the first sip – a gulp, actually –
we relax, stop worrying about the car's undercarriage and begin to look more closely at our surroundings.
Though Adobe Guadalupe has just six rooms, it's one sprawling hacienda, with a massive fountain in the courtyard, a winery off to one side, a pool and
hot tub on the other, collections of teacups and cut crystal artfully arranged here and there, and three galumphing Weimaraners enjoying the run of
the place.
We glance out doorways and windows, seeing vineyards roll in orderly rows across the vast valley floor. It looks like the Napa Valley, but we're in
Baja California.
More specifically, we're wrapping up our first day in Valle de Guadalupe, about half an hour northeast of Ensenada, a coastal party town roughly 70
miles south of San Diego.
In Ensenada, the tourist draws are fish tacos and beer. In Valle de Guadalupe, it's wine. There's not much here other than vineyards and wineries,
slowly squeezing out the orange and olive groves, alfalfa fields and horse farms that have long set the tone for the valley's rich agrarian history.
Wine lovers won't be disappointed with what they find in the hot, arid Valle de Guadalupe. Although swine flu and fear of violence have deterred many
Americans from visiting, we couldn't resist it.
An estimated 80 to 90 percent of the wine made in Mexico is made in Baja California, and most of that is produced by the 30 or more wineries in this
valley. The producers range from corporate giants to boutiques no bigger than a one-car garage.
Although most of Baja is desert, Valle de Guadalupe benefits from its proximity to the Pacific Ocean and by topography similar to Santa Barbara
County. In both viticultural areas, maritime breezes stream east though a gap in the coastal hills and are more or less confined by ridges, providing
cool breaks from torrid temperatures, helping maintain the sugar and acid balance crucial for expressive wine grapes.
Wineries are apt to be far back on a washboard road or tucked in a ravine up a tortuous path best traversed with a high-riding four-wheel-drive
beater.
"I like to tell people that this is off-roading in the wine country," says Steve Dryden, a retired U.S. National Park Service naturalist who came here
a decade ago to write about wine and guide tours.
Our first stop on Day 2 is Vinicola L.A. Cetto, one of the larger and more historic wineries in the valley, dating from 1974. Out front, members of
the Kumai tribe oversee a table at which they sell bundles of fresh rosemary and sage, and baskets woven with pine needles.
Inside, Camillo Magoni, the native Italian who has been Cetto's winemaker from the start, is lining up bottles to showcase the winery's portfolio,
from an inexpensive everyday petite sirah to a pricey blend of cabernet sauvignon, nebbiolo and montepulciano he makes every five years to salute the
winery's founder, fellow Italian Angelo Cetto.
"Mexico is known for tequila, beaches, archaeology, Corona and spring break, and in the near future for wine, I hope so," says Magoni.
He's been involved in the valley's wine trade since 1965 and has seen it evolve from a focus on large yields for simple brandy to today's intensifying
concentration on small yields, premium varietals and high-end proprietary blends. The brandy has all but disappeared, succeeded by dry table wines,
Magoni says.
"This is the best area in Baja for wines, but it's not the only one," he boasts, noting that such neighboring valleys as Las Palmas to the north and
Santo Tomas and San Vicente to the south also yield fruit for fine wine.
While demand for Mexican wine is growing, particularly in Mexico City, Guadalajara and resort cities with a sophisticated and affluent clientele,
vintners say, Baja's wine trade is hamstrung by forces natural and bureaucratic. Drought, coupled with Ensenada's tapping of the Guadalupe River, is
keeping growers from expanding for fear they won't have adequate water to irrigate their grapes.
And then there are Mexico's mysterious, cumbersome and onerous wine taxes, which inflate the price of a bottle between 35 percent and 40 percent if it
is sold beyond the winery.
"It's almost impossible for a winery our size to comply with the federal regulations to get that government sticker so we can sell to hotels and
restaurants," says Miguel Fuentes, vineyard manager and winemaker at his family's Vinos Fuentes winery on the southern outskirts of Francisco Zarco.
"Producing grapes, making your own wine, and selling your wine on your own property is a lot easier to do," adds Fuentes, a Mexicali native who
graduated from UC Davis with a degree in international agriculture development in 1992.
Like several of the valley's other boutique vintners, he's hoping the area continues to develop the infrastructure to become as well-known as an
appellation as it is as a day trip for tour groups out of Ensenada.
But today, Valle de Guadalupe is a rustic wine region with just a handful of posh accommodations and only a couple of restaurants with ambitiously
artistic food. Like the Napa Valley of half a century ago, it is occupied primarily by farmworkers and pioneering winemakers, and only essential
businesses – the Pemex gas station, mini-markets, panaderias, taquerias. Fashion boutiques and spas are a long way down the road.
Wine enthusiasts who want something to do after they've exhausted their palates pretty much are limited to horseback riding, mountain biking and
hiking, or they can head to Ensenada for sport fishing or golf.
On the other hand, anyone seeking a change of pace from the competitiveness and congestion often encountered in Northern California wine regions, as
well as some welcome solitude, will find Valle de Guadalupe comforting – unless they step out of the car and almost get hit by a youngster galloping
by on his horse, as happened to me in Francisco Zarco.
"Most guests have an agenda when they get to the valley, but once they get to our place they stay and relax," says Nathan Malagon, whose family's
Vinedos Malagon includes a small and secluded bed-and-breakfast bordering an old grenache vineyard tucked up against the foothills just to the north
of Francisco Zarco.
Not that Valle de Guadalupe entirely lacks archaeological, historic and cultural attractions. The most curious stem from the immigration in 1905 of
Russian Molokans, pacifists who fled the mother country rather than fight for the czar. They congregated just southwest of Francisco Zarco, in an area
to become known as El Porvenir, or "the future."
Today, the valley has three small Molokan museums, two across the street from each other in Francisco Zarco, where the cemetery has almost as many
headstones in Russian as Spanish. (Explanatory signs in the museums, however, invariably are in Spanish and Russian, not English.)
The third museum is at Vinos Bibayoff, owned by David Bibayoff Dalgoff, a member of one of the last two Molokan families in the valley, in Rancho
Toros Pintos, just south of Francisco Zarco and El Porvenir.
Dalgoff, who in the winery's museum shows off the framed government permit his grandfather, Alexie M. Dalgoff, got in 1931 to make wine, tends 40
acres of grapes, most of which he sells to other vintners. Under his own label, he makes a fleshy and herbal cabernet sauvignon, a sweet zinfandel and
a spicy port.
Big and convivial, Dalgoff represents the relaxed and casual attitude of much of the valley's wine community.
"When the gate is open, we are here," says Dalgoff, when asked when Vinos Bibayoff is open to the public.
No less enamored with Valle de Guadalupe's wine prospects is ceramic artist Ivette Vaillard, who moved into the valley from Veracruz 27 years ago,
acquired a half-acre of hardscrabble hillside and without electricity began to plant pomegranate, macadamia, walnut, olive and pear trees, the fruit
of which she sells at the local farmers market.
She also began to cultivate wine grapes and with two other women created Tres Mujeres Winery. They make mostly perfumey and juicy cabernet sauvignons.
They sell their production out of their cellar, where they tunneled deep into the granite under vineyard and orchard to scoop out one of the few wine
caves in the valley.
Throughout my tastings I'd been trying to pin down stylistic threads that tie one wine to another in hopes of understanding what sets apart the wines
of Valle de Guadalupe from releases in other regions. The task is complicated by the wide variability in style and quality among producers.
Some are as coarse as wines made by a not particularly attentive home winemaker, while others are startling for their complexity, elegance and
balance.
When I ask vintners what broadly distinguishes the wines of Valle de Guadalupe, they also struggle to come up with an answer, an indication of the
region's youth and continuing experimentation. Ivette Vaillard, on the other hand, nails it: "Compared with other countries, they are heavy wines,
they have a lot of body."
True, regardless of whether the wine is white, rosé or red, varietal or blend, dry or sweet, the wines of Valle de Guadalupe tend to have a richness
to them, a fleshiness, a ripeness stopping just shy of being overripe. That's generally speaking. Exceptions can be found, such as that lean, crisp
and spicy rosé that first welcomed us into the area at Adobe Guadalupe.
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More Information
* Valle De Guadalupe
Accommodations
• Hacienda Guadalupe Hotel, perched on a rocky slope along the south side of the valley, provides the most expansive view of vineyards. $139
weekdays, $150 weekends. http://www.haciendaguadalupehotel.com
• Adobe Guadalupe, with six posh rooms, is a secluded and romantic bed, breakfast and dinner inn complete with stables, a working winery and
tasting room. $168 for room and breakfast for two, $70 additional per person for dinner. http://www.adobeguadalupe.com
• La Villa del Valle, atop a small knoll in the middle of the valley, is a six-room bed-and-breakfast where the morning omelets are prepared
with eggs from the resident chickens. $175 weekdays, $195 weekends, when a two-night minimum is requested. http://www.lavilladelvalle.com
• Rancho Maria Teresa, nestled in an oasis of orange and palm trees on the valley floor, has two swimming pools, a family atmosphere, its own
line of wines and one of the more popular restaurants in the area, Restaurante.
• Campestre Los Naranjos, where the pancake syrup is made from wine grapes. $80 to $180. http://www.ranchomariateresa.com
• Vinedos Malagon, an isolated self-contained ranch up against the region's northern hills, includes four rooms, a central kitchen, a fire pit,
a 36-inch plasma-screen TV, and access to a network of trails. This is the ideal party pad for a large family or small group of friends. $75 to $130
Sunday through Thursday, $100 to $150 weekends. http://www.vinedosmalagon.com
Restaurants
• Restaurante Laja is Valle de Guadalupe's version of Napa Valley's The French Laundry, notable for the intricacy and artfulness of its modern,
seasonal, locally inspired cuisine, fixed-price menus, and polished service. http://www.lajamexico.com
• Tacos y Tortas del Valle is a simple, open-air, one-woman stall at the northern entrance to the settlement of Francisco Zarco, across the
street from the Pemex gas station. This was our first mealtime stop in the valley, and I'm still kicking myself for not returning for another of its
fat, rich and juicy beef tortas.
• La Cabana, tucked into the far reaches of a small but perpetually busy shopping plaza in the heart of Francisco Zarco, serves no beer or wine
but draws a loyal clientele, in large part for its hamburgers, though we opted for the garlic-fried fish and the carne arrachera, both flavorful,
fresh and large in portion.
Wineries
Given the largely casual attitude of vintners in Valle de Guadalupe, call ahead to make sure wineries you hope to visit are open. Most have
someone on the tasting-room staff who speaks English. Tasting fees generally are in the $4 to $10 range.
We found the most extensive and consistent lineups of wines at these wineries:
• Adobe Guadalupe releases its wines as proprietary blends named after angels – the 2005 Miguel is a rich, fleshy and aromatic tempranillo
tempered with grenache and cabernet sauvignon, while the 2006 Kerubiel is a hearty yet graceful mix of six Rhone Valley varieties. They also produce a
smoky and bracing mezcal from Oaxaca, aptly named Lucifer. (646) 155-2094. http://www.adobeguadalupe.com
• L.A. Cetto, one of the larger, more historic and more varied wineries in the valley, is recognized for such high-value releases as petite
sirah, viognier and nebbiolo. (646) 155-2179 or (646) 155-2264. http://www.cettowines.com
• Monte Xanic, overlooking a small lake that draws local fishers, is likely to be the only Valle de Guadalupe brand to be recognized in
California, given that its wines are distributed in the United States. (646) 174-6155 or (646) 174-7055. http://www.montexanic.com
• Vinedos Malagon, which occupies a ranch first farmed by Russian settlers more than a century ago, serves such elegant yet conservatively
priced wines as their proprietary 2007 Equua Cosecha, a smooth and spicy grenache-based blend more refined and complex than its $20 price (in the
U.S.) would suggest.
• Vinisterra, occupying a handsome red-brick building on the edge of a small vineyard populated with chickens, specializes in Mediterranean
varieties like sangiovese and tempranillo, producing a series of wines that combine intensity with friendliness. (646) 178-3350 or (646) 178-3310. http://www.vinisterra.com
Information please
• Ralph Amey's "Wines of Baja California" (Wine Appreciation Guild, 178 pages, $19.95), though dated by the addition of several wineries since
its publication in 2003, nonetheless is comprehensive in its history of the development of vineyards and wineries in Valle de Guadalupe.
• Fiestas de la Vendimia, an annual wine festival in and about Valle de Guadalupe, occurs in August. Events typically include food-and-wine
pairings, special tastings and concerts. Check out http://www.fiestasdelavendimia.com
• Valle de Guadalupe resident wine writer Steve Dryden offers individual and small-group tours from San Diego and Ensenada that customarily
include stops at four wineries and lunch. Price depends on the size of the group and the pick-up and drop-off location. E-mail him at
sbdryden@hotmail.com.
Security Tips
• Visit only legitimate business and tourist areas. Avoid areas where prostitution and drug dealing might occur.
• Try to limit travel to daylight hours, and only on main roads such as the toll – "cuota" – highway between Tijuana and Ensenada.
• Leave your itinerary with a friend or relative not traveling with you.
• Before your departure, check with your cellular provider to confirm that your cell phone is capable of roaming on GSM or 3G international
networks.
• Do not display expensive-looking jewelry, large amounts of money, or other valuable items.
• Avoid traveling alone.
• Use ATMs only during regular business hours at large protected facilities.
• Keep windows up and doors locked while driving in towns.
– Mike Dunne
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Martyman
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Someday I will make it to wine country in baja and spend some time. Any other winemakers out there? I made pinot noir, chardonnay and primitivo this
year. Production increases every year. Will be bottling the '08 soon.
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Gypsy Jan
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Excellent News Article, Very Well Written
I can't find any fault with it (that thump you just heard was the hubby toppling over in a dead faint).
Martyman, I would encourage you to get into contact with Steve Dryden for information about the winemakers in Guadalupe Valley. He has been
organizing wine tours from the U.S. for years. Many of my local friends in Rosarito have signed up for his tours and they have all given him good
reviews.
My only contact with him was last Christmas, when I needed to gift some bottles of nice wine to visitors. He responded to my email immediately.
And, guess what?! He didn't suggest buying bottles of wine at a price of US $200+ from a secretive location where you have to talk in whispers and
nod knowingly at the pronouncements of the vintner.
Instead, he made several very sensible, less than $50 per bottle recommendations (and some were less than $20) that I could find from suppliers in
Rosarito. Our guests were thrilled with their gifts and took the time to thank us later, saying how much they enjoyed the wine.
He writes a bi-monthly column for the Baja Times (www.bajatimes.com) and lists his contact info in that column.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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k-rico
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Location: Playas de Tijuana
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On Christmas day we took a ride, dogs and all, from TJ up to Tecate using the old road, south through the vineyards to Ensenada and then back along
the coast. The wine country was beautiful, green everywhere because of the recent rains.
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JESSE
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Too bad the quality of the wines have been steadily going south in the past years.
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Gypsy Jan
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"Life is too short to drink bad wine." --- Anonymous
But...if that is all you have. 
"This reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water." --W.C.
Fields
[Edited on 1-8-2010 by Gypsy Jan]
[Edited on 1-8-2010 by Gypsy Jan]
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow mindedness.”
—Mark Twain
\"La vida es dura, el corazon es puro, y cantamos hasta la madrugada.” (Life is hard, the heart is pure and we sing until dawn.)
—Kirsty MacColl, Mambo de la Luna
\"Alea iacta est.\"
—Julius Caesar
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