Gypsy Jan - 6-19-2013 at 11:58 AM
The first five tours are completely sold out so we're adding a sixth and final tour. Here's a copy of the original email updated with the additional
date.
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INSIDER'S 3-DAY VALLE DE GUADALUPE WINE & CULINARY TOUR 2013
$595 per person based on double occupancy ($110 single occupancy upcharge)
$75 upcharge for upgrading to a deluxe suite (per person based on double occupancy)
RSVP: (619) 295-3939
Your choice of 6 trips:
September 29th through October 1st (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ SOLD OUT
~ or ~
October 6th through 8th (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ SOLD OUT
~ or ~
October 13th through 15th (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ SOLD OUT
~ or ~
October 20th through 22nd (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ SOLD OUT
~ or ~
October 27th through 29nd (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ SOLD OUT
~ or ~
November 3rd through 5th (Sunday through Tuesday) ~ JUST ADDED: ALL 57 SEATS AVAILABLE
>>> Please SCROLL DOWN for the hour-by-hour itinerary below, but here’s an overview of the highlights:
~ Everyone will meet at Wine Vault & Bistro Sunday morning for our legendary Bloody Mediterraneans and Mexican Coffees. After checking in and
socializing a bit with your soon-to-become new best friends, we'll board the bus out front with to-go drinks in hand. Depending upon the border wait
(usually about 15 minutes), we should arrive at Hotel Coral y Marina in just under two hours. The drive south on Hwy 1 is one of the most scenic in
Mexico, with picturesque, Big Sur-like views from atop the rugged cliffs hugging the ocean's edge. Hotel Coral y Marina is one of the best hotels in
the Ensenada area. It's located right in the marina halfway between the last toll booth and the entrance to the city. 100% of the rooms are suites,
100% of the rooms have balconies, and 100% of the rooms have full-on ocean views. It has two outdoor pools, one indoor pool, two Jacuzzis, an
exercise room and a spa. And their restaurant is excellent!
~ Once at the hotel we'll start with an amazing Sunday brunch on the outdoor patio overlooking the ocean with bottomless Bloody Marys, Mexican Coffees
and Margaritas included (yikes). After that the afternoon is free for you to:
1) check into your ocean view room and just hang out on your balcony, and/or
2) have a massage or spa treatment, and/or
3) walk around the marina, and/or
4) hang out at the pool bar and enjoy an adult beverage(s), and/or
5) take a shuttle into Ensenada to do some shopping, etc. I'll take anyone who's interested into town (about a $5 cab ride) to see the famous fish
market (home of the original fish taco) and maybe sample some aguas calientes (a spicy ceviche-like preparation of sushi-grade, super-fresh raw
seafood) with a cold beer or two.
~ After an afternoon of relaxation, we'll meet back at the restaurant for optional no-host c-cktails at 6:00 and then for an amazing six-course dinner
at 7:00. Everyone needs to bring one bottle of wine per person from home to share at the communal dining table. We'll do small 1-2 ounce pours so
with any luck you'll be able to sample upwards of 15-20 different wines in one sitting. (Keep in mind that the menu will be seafood centric so whites
and softer reds like Pinot Noir or Rhone blends will probably be the most food friendly.) After dinner the evening is free for you to hang out at the
bar with your new friends or to just call it an early night and relax on your private balcony overlooking the ocean.
~ Breakfast (included) Monday morning will be back down in the restaurant with your choice of indoor or outdoor seating. It's a first-class,
all-you-can-eat buffet with many of the items made to order (omelets, eggs any style, smoothies to your specifications and even hand-pressed tortillas
made right in front of you). In addition to many traditional Mexican specialties, you'll also find plenty of typical American fare plus a delicious
fresh tropical fruit station if you want to do something on the lighter/healthier side. (That's where you'll find me because I know what's coming up
for lunch and dinner and definitely want to save my appetite ... hint, hint.)
~ And (because it takes a lot of beer to make good wine ... how many times have you heard that line from winemakers), after breakfast we'll hop on the
bus for a five minute jaunt up the road to Agua Mala, an artisanal micro-brewery right on the ocean (but completely invisible from the highway because
it's hidden by a purposely non-descript wall with absolutely zero signage) owned by my friends Ashley and Nathaniel. These guys are rocking the Baja
cerveza world with some amazing brews. You'll have an opportunity to taste different malts roasted at different levels and to smell the various
strains of hops used to make their beers before actually sampling them so that once you actually do taste them, you'll be able to recognize and have a
much greater appreciation for the specific malts and hops used to make the different styles. After the brewery tour, we'll hang out on the lawn in
front of their house (that's just behind the brewery ... yeah I know, tough life) on the cliff overlooking the ocean to enjoy the final beer of the
morning ... but hey, it'll only be 10:30 by then so there'll be plenty more time for drinking wine.
~ Now is when the wine part of the tour officially starts. First stop will be Alximia Winery. Those of you who went on our 2011 tours will remember
this high-tech facility that we visited while it was still under construction. So it will be especially rewarding for you to see this facility again
finally nearing completion. Owned by a father/son-astronomer/mathematician team, you can probably already guess that this is no ordinary winery. The
architecture is a very futuristic looking three-story dome building with flying buttresses extending from all sides like spider legs. It is
incredibly efficiently designed and utilizes gravity flow production, rain water capture, immensely thick, energy-saving walls and a host of other
features too long to list. We'll get a behind-the-scenes tour there and, of course, taste their premium wines.
~ Next stop will be for lunch. And what a treat we have in store for you! Renowned chef Javier Plascencia of Tijuana’s Mision 19 fame recently
opened an outdoor restaurant in the Valle called Finca Altozano. We'll drive down a dirt road seemingly in the middle of nowhere when all of a sudden
there will be a gate in the barbed wire fencing leading to a grassy knoll leading to a rustic outdoor restaurant. Here we'll enjoy a traditional but
very upscale "taquiza," a family-style presentation of "make-your-own" tacos consisting of freshly made tortillas with half dozen exotic fillings plus
all the usual condiments and sides. We'll give our livers a much needed break and enjoy their refreshing "agua frescas" -- icy, purified water
infused with slightly sweetened, macerated fresh fruit. Yum! (Beer and wine will also be available to purchase at ridiculously low prices if you
want to keep you B/A level on an even keel.)
~ After lunch we'll head over to Las Nubes, a brand new winery located on the western slopes. It's an architecturally stunning, state-of-the-art
facility with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the Valle. But most importantly, their wine is equally stunning. Here we'll enjoy a tour
and then a tasting paired with some of the Valle's artisanal cheeses.
~ After this mid-afternoon stop we're going "off roading" to the middle of nowhere for a repeat visit to La Villa del Valle right smack dab in the
center of the Valle. Those of you who went on our 2009 and 2011 tours will no doubt have many fond memories here and it will be interesting to
finally see the finished product after four years of construction. La Villa del Valle is actually three separate projects owned and operated by
American ex-pats Phil and Eileen Gregory: La Villa del Valle is the exclusive B&B part of the project; Vena Cava is the winery part (just
completed a few months ago, by the way); and Corazon de Tierra is the restaurant part. If you were on our 2009 tours you'll remember Phil as our host
at La Escuelita, the fascinating co-op started by Valle de Guadalupe wine pioneer Hugo Acosta that enables small mom-and-pop producers to produce
their own wine, grappa and olive oil using shared equipment and facilities. Phil was making his own label, Vena Cava, there at the co-op then but now
has completely moved production on-site to their new winery at the B&B that has just completed construction. After touring the immaculate grounds
(with a glass of Vena Cava bubbly in hand, of course) and then touring the new "upside-down boats" winery (with barrel samples and appetizers, of
course), we'll walk over to Corazon de Tierra where Phil will host a multi-course winemaker dinner prepared by Diego Hernandez, their chef who was
recently voted best young chef in Baja. It promises to be a night to remember under the stars in one of the most beautiful settings in the valley.
(As a completely off-topic side note, Anthony Bourdain shot an episode of "No Reservations" here about a year after our last tour with interviews of
Phil and Diego and, of course, lots of food and wine!) After dinner it's back to your ocean view room for the night.
~ Breakfast is included at the hotel again Tuesday morning. After breakfast we'll pack up and hit the road for L. A. Cetto, hands down the largest
winery in the Valle. While perhaps best known for their mass produced wines, they also produce some reserve boutique wines which, of course, are the
ones we'll be trying. The setting will be on their hillside terrace overlooking the Valle. After the premium tasting we'll take a quick tour of the
ginormous facility before heading five minutes down the road to Endemico.
~ Endemico is another one of those three part projects: hotel, restaurant and winery. The hotel part is actually individual rooms perched on stilts
overlooking the Valle. It's very private, very upscale and has won numerous international design awards. You'll be able to see these unique rooms
from afar as we arrive, and can check out their website if you're interested in seeing the interiors for a possible future visit by yourself. You'll
be able to see the restaurant part with its beautiful cantilevered decks but for this tour we're going to concentrate on the winery part which is
absolutely stunning. We'll start in the underground portion and watch a short video presentation about the history of the Valle and then move
upstairs for a tasting while enjoying the panoramic views before heading another five minutes down the road for the finale at Lechuza.
~ Finally, just like the tours in 2009 and 2011, we'll end at our friends Ray and Patty Magnussen's Lechuza (Spanish for burrowing ground owl which is
prevalent there) Vineyard. They are hosting a sumptuous outdoor feast prepared by the chefs next door at Laja -- also known as the "French Laundry"
of Mexico. Needless to say, there aren't enough adjectives to describe how-off-the charts this final lunch will be. After lunch Ray will take
everyone into the cellar for barrel tasting and then for a tour of the vineyards. In addition to their Lechuza wines which will be paired with lunch,
there will also be plenty of cold cervezas and margaritas, and maybe even a cigar or two.
~ Then it's back to reality. All good things must come to an end sometime ... but not before one last, scenic drive up the Big Sur-like coast line
... and if the past is prologue, with plenty of leftover libations to drink along the way.
HOUR BY HOUR ITINERARY
SUNDAY ~ Sept 29 or Oct 6 or Oct 13 or Oct 20 or Oct 27, 2013
08:45 AM ~ Meet at WV&B for pre-boarding Bloody Mediterraneans and Mexican Coffees
09:30 AM ~ Luxury motor coach (with on-board restroom) picks everyone up at WV&B
11:30 AM ~ Arrive Hotel Coral y Marina where we'll spend the entire day relaxing at this six storey oceanfront hotel/resort/spa. We'll start with a
traditional Mexican brunch in their restaurant overlooking the ocean. After that the afternoon is free for you to check into your ocean view room,
and/or have a massage or spa treatment, and/or take a walk along the marina, and/or take a shuttle into Ensenada five minutes away to explore the
shops, restaurants, bars or the famous fish market (home of the original fish taco).
06:00 PM ~ No host pre-dinner c-cktails
07:00 PM ~ Six-course dinner (bring a bottle from home to share with everyone)
MONDAY ~ Sept 30 or Oct 7 or Oct 14 or Oct 21 or Oct 28, 2013
08:00 AM ~ Breakfast included at Hotel Coral y Marina
09:00 AM ~ Agua Mala brewery tour and tasting
11:00 AM ~ Alximia tour + tasting
01:00 PM ~ Finca Altozano lunch
03:30 PM ~ Las Nubes tour + tasting and cheese
05:30 PM ~ Vena Cava Winemaker Dinner at La Villa del Valle
TUESDAY ~ Oct 1 or Oct 8 or Oct 15 or Oct 22 or Oct 29, 2013
08:00 AM ~ Breakfast included at Hotel Coral y Marina
09:30 AM ~ L. A. Cetto tasting on the terrace + tour
11:30 PM ~ Endemico tour + tasting
01:15 PM ~ Arrive Lechuza Winery for tasting, tour and lunch
05:00 PM ~ Depart Lechuza
08:30 PM ~ Arrive San Diego (plus or minus depending upon border wait)
COST:
$595 per person based on double occupancy. The single occupancy upcharge is $110. If you're a single traveling with another single there are also
rooms with two beds at no additional charge. There are also a limited number of deluxe suites available for a $75 upcharge per person based on double
occupancy. (The difference between the regular suites and the deluxe suites are that the deluxe suites have been remodeled, are on the top floors
with better views, have huge walk-in showers, have upgraded bedding, and the bedroom and living room layout is flip-flopped so that the bedroom faces
the ocean instead of the living room. While both suites are nice, the deluxe suites are definitely worth the extra seventy-five bucks if you want
more creature comforts ... and want to wake up with the ocean in your face!)
DEPOSITS:
Reservations will not be guaranteed until a deposit of $195.00 per person is received. Deposits become non-refundable 75 days prior to each trip.
The balance will be charged 45 days before the trip and becomes non-refundable at that point.
INCLUDED IN COST:
1. Pre-boarding Bloody Mediterraneans and Mexican Coffees at WV&B
2. Transportation to Mexico and back via luxury motorcoach with on-board restroom
3. All transportation within Mexico via luxury motorcoach
4. Two nights oceanfront lodging at Hotel Coral y Marina
5. Sunday morning brunch with unlimited Bloody Marys, Margaritas and Irish Coffees
6. All breakfasts
7. All lunches
8. All dinners
9. All winery tours and tastings
NOT INCLUDED IN COST:
1. A bottle of wine to bring with you to share with everyone Sunday night
2. Bus driver tips (plan on $12 per person)
3. Optional extra c-cktails
4. Optional side trip to Ensenada Sunday afternoon (about $5 for cab fare)
MISCELLANEOUS NOTES
1. You MUST have a current passport to get back into the US!
2. If you are a California resident, you can bring ONE bottle of wine per person back into the US. If you are a non-California resident (or have an
out-of-state driver's license) you can bring back up to 5 cases of wine per person. (NOTE: In the past we've usually had several guests with
out-of-state licenses. If you're a California resident and want to bring back more than one bottle, my recommendation is that you make friends with
these people ... if you get my drift.)
3. If you're unfamiliar with Valle de Guadalupe wines, or have only experienced the "supermarket quality" wines from some of the larger producers,
you're in for a very pleasant surprise. Most of the wineries we'll be visiting are small, super-premium producers that will give you a whole new
perspective on south of the border wines. Be prepared to be wowed!
4. Please note that this is a physical tour that involves lots of walking. Day time to night time temperature swings can vary as much as 30-40
degrees, so in addition to a pair of comfortable walking shoes, make sure to dress in layers.
5. If you're planning ahead for future tours we're tentatively planning a Tequila tour of Jalisco, Mexico for March 2014, a Barcelona / south of
France tour for May 2014 and an Oregon / Columbia Gorge tour for October 2014. If you think you might be interested in any of these please reply to
this email with the trip(s) you're likely to go on in the subject line so we can start judging response.
Hope you can make it!
Chris
GETTING ON THIS LIST
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