Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail

Stop #1 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

When visiting El Valle de Guadalupe, a consideration for comfort is to “picnic in” your vital food and beverage needs. Sure, there are mercados and tiendas that will have many of the basics, like Mercado Liz in Francisco Zarco. But, for things like cheese, artisan bread and your favorite beer, plan ahead.

A must stop in the wine valley is Cremeria Los Globos. They are located about 50 feet east of the valley’s only stop light in San Antonio de Las Minas.

Enter the door and childhood memories of italian markets flashed through my mind. Big cakes of a dozen or so cheeses are out on the counters with samples ready to try. Olives, pestos, jellies, wine and bread are in a supporting role of all of the cheese. It will be impossible to leave the Cremeria Los Globos without an additional item with your cheese.

I asked for the “queso mas fuerte” and was directed to a romano-like hunk of chewy heaven. But, that would overpower any wine experience. Moved down the strength scale a bit to a Oaxacan cheese that was close to a Monterey Jack in flavor and texture.

Bread was next on the shopping list. I am a fan of chili peppers, but, not in bread and especially not in bread that is going to be part of a wine tasting. We got a light wheat that had rosemary and a light touch of olives in it.

We had filled our cooler with ice, water, beer, chocolate, and additional cash from the newish(2012) Calimax grocery store in El Sauzal. This Calimax isn’t the biggest, but, has all of the basics. It is located just over one mile “south” of the Hwy 3 Ruta del Vino exit on Hwy 1. It’s across from the 16 story “Entremar” ocean side condos. Ice and cash were our biggest needs. We also picnicked in some Sonoma chardonnay, as the wine valley is scarce for dry whites. Please correct me if you can on this?





[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Stop #2 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Sept 20 thru 22 Valle de Guadalupe tour made our home base at Vinedos Malagon. This was my second overnight visit at Vinedos Malegon.

We had the Grenache Suite and were lucky to enjoy the recent cooler air in the valley. This suite is the size of two hotel rooms with a huge bathroom. Ana Rosa greeted us and got us settled in. The parking is within a few feet of the B&B, making easy transport for our bags.

Ana brought us over to the community casa, which includes more bathrooms(with showers), a specious lounge with fireplace, satellite TV, big kitchen and a comfy patio overlooking the vineyards.

Lucky us, finding Joe Malagon serving beverages that afternoon, including his new grenache. The table on their patio is where guests gather for breakfast and happy hour. A young couple from Mexico City joined us at the patio table and it was fun discussing and comparing our wine valley experiences with them.

We also had stocked up on cheese and bread at Los Globos Cremeria at the Valle’s only stoplight in San Antonio de las Minas. We brought our cooler filled with ice, beer and other goodies. Our Friday happy hour on the patio lasted until 9PM.

Because Malagon’s is a rural, secluded vineyard, only the birds will wake you in the morning. That and the idea of a breakfast made to order by Lazaro will get your day started right. Lazaro’s coffee is strong and the smell of his cooking is comforting. Fruit, bread, sweet treats and juices are all part of breakfast. I ordered eggs with ham and beans with chorizo. Fresh red and green salsas are an additional treat.

You can catch up on your favorite sports or movies on the lounge TV, do some reading or get your www fix with free campus high speed wifi internet.

Beside the clean room, comfy bed, strong water pressure in the bathroom and quiet setting, I enjoy hiking the hills at Malagon. The property is 400 acres and much of it extends north into the hills. The trails are easy to navigate, because you can see the wine valley below.

Small grocery stores and taco shops are also available in the town of Francisco Zarco if you want to get your Mexican on.

To find Malagon’s, at K76-77 of the Ens-Tecate Hwy 3, turn into the small town of Francisco Zarco at the Pemex. In .6 miles(1K) stop at the first stop sign, right turn. In 200 yards, you will see the entrance to Malegon’s on your right. Upon entering the property, signs will lead you past the church to the B&B as you wind through the beautiful vineyards.





[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Nice!

Stop #3 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Nubes winery has one of the best wine tasting experiences and view of the Valle de Guadalupe. The winery started in 2008.

Starting our wine tour day at 12:30pm, we decided upon the 5 wine sampling at 100 pesos/person.

Nubes’ “Kuiiy” is a sauvignon blanc and chardonnary blend. The green apple aroma is unique and, for me, a perfect summer sipper sitting on Nubes’ open air tasting room checking out the valley.

Nubes’ “Cumulus” grenache, carignan and tempranillo, is a delicous fruity blend in a Rhone style. Cumulus has a balance of fruit, tannins and acidity that would fall in love with an end cut of fatty prime rib.

(646) 156 8037 and I believe they are open for wine tastings daily. Find Nubes in Porvenir, 1K or .6 miles west of the Escuelita wine school. Then head north toward the hills 1 mile to the entrance. The red roofs are visible from miles away.





[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Stop #4 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Needed a change up this early afternoon, so made a VIP reservation at a small Valle de Guadalupe wine bar, El Corcho Rosa.

El Corcho Rosa happens to be the south patio of Sitara Monica Perez’ home AND winery.

There was a crowd of Sitara’s friends there to help her with her Sunday afternoon grape crush. Errr, make that a gang of grape juice drinkers were hanging at El Corcho Rosa for intensive quality control studies.

Sitara is in year two of her wine making and Valle de Guadalupe adventure. She also provides tailored wine tours of the wine valley’s eclectic wine offerings. I had the recent pleasure of two very different Sitara wine tours. In addition to excellent wine, I learned a lot more about grapes and met some of the most interesting wine makers in the Valle de Guadalupe.c

But, back to wine DRINKING!, Sitara’s current cellar offerings from Valley Girl Baja Wine…





ALSO, Lady in Red: Mourvedre base with Grenache and Syrah

50 Shades of Red: Grenache base with Mourvedre, Cabernet, Syrah and Barbera

Tattoo Lady: Cabernet

We sampled the Sauvignon Blanc(Gold Sister) which was perfect for the warming afternoon sun. The valley has cooled considerably this week, so that the high temperature today only hit 80F/27C.

Met a handful of locals and some Rosarito Beach invaders at Sitara’s. Seemed that this gang has been around each other before, but, everyone welcomed us and gave us the wine descriptions. Nice people to meet and chat, as you would expect of friends of Sitara.

Enjoyed the Tempranillo(Bold Sister), which is a very good wine value, bursting with bold flavors.

Sitara really was working her grapes off that day, as she has been all month. I was able to catch her for about 30 seconds.

Had to fly to our next victim, so said goodbye to El Corcho Rosa and will invade again soon. Here is the location:



sitara.perez@gmail.com for El Corcho Rosa reservations or fun wine valley tours

[Edited on 10-5-2013 by bajadock]

Stop #5 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

It was mid-afternoon Saturday and our wine palates were needing an intermezzo cleansing. My co-pilot was lamenting her error of not packing some beer in our to-go cooler. She had no idea that our next stop was Troika, the Valle de Guadalupe’s Food Truck, Winery and Cervezeria.

Troika, Russian for 3-some, is the newest addition to Phil and Eileen Gregory’s La Villa del Valle property in the middle of the Valle de Guadalupe. The 3-some is the combination of the local food(a tapas version of Corazon de Tierra), Vena Cava wine and Wendlandt Brewery beer. Wendlandt Ensenada is located at downtown ‘Nada’s first OXXO and across from McD.



On your first visit to La Villa del Valle and Troika, you will find the brown signs with white lettering that will guide through the humps, bumps and washboard. You can access Troika from both Hwy 3 at K88 and the Porvenir road(approx halfway between Bibayoff and Nube’s winery exits).

After a quick bathroom break, located in the wine cava, below those boat hulls, we sampled some of the beer. She ordered a Pilsner and I enjoyed the IPA.


Our host gave us the rundown on the menu items. Salads, sliders, tostadas and an interesting charcuterie dish were available today. The menu changes according to the availability of local ingredients. Veggies come from the garden located a few hundred feet up the hill.

We were in the mood for ceviche, but that was not available today. I almost ordered the charcuterie, but, just enjoyed the cool breeze and view of the valley. The roof shade at Troika is made from used grape vine irrigation tubing that is woven like a bird’s nest(note to self on this method for a pergola on my front deck).

We started the day without any plan, other than a strong dinner inclination later this evening. It was 3PM and we were on wine break. We simply sat by Troika’s marina and soaked up the sun, grape vines and the hilltop view of El Valle de Guadalupe. Troika will be open as long as the weather favorable(guessing through October?), so get your bunz up there pronto!


La Villa del Valle, Corazon de Tierra, Vena Cava Winery and Troika contact info:

(01152) 646 156-8007
(646) 183-9249 cell
From the US dial (011521) 646 183-9249
USA phone
(818) 207-7130
Please leave a message.
We will contact you as soon as possible.
E-mail: info@lavilladelvalle.com

Stop #6 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

First met Chef Drew Deckman at the first Sabor de Baja in Rosarito Beach, August 2013. Deckman’s en el Mogor in the Valle de Guadalupe has been on my radar since it opened in 2012.

We were winding our way northeast toward our base camp at Malagon’s B&B with an idea of one more stop before our planned dinner. Lucky that there is signage on Ensenada-Tecate Hwy 3 at K 85.5 for Deckman’s. The restaurant is tucked in a grove of pine trees about 300 yards to the east of Hwy 3.

The Mogor Badan winery is adjacent to the restaurant.


Our 4PM-ish invasion saw the restaurant at approx 75% capacity. On a Saturday, I’m certain that they had table reservations lined up and it appeared that no tables other than in their “Agua Mala Cantina” were available. That area was also full of sun(photo right). Staff quickly moved one of the tables from the beer garden into some shade and we were seated.



We ordered the Agua Mala amber beer, Marea Roja = Red Tide, and listened to some menu choices. We were a bit hungry and needed a bridge between now and our 8PM dinner. We selected the five tapas menu.



Other than the beautiful setting, we noticed that the hardest working person on the premises was Chef Drew. In a few minutes we had a cubed clam dish set on lettuce for a starter. The clams were lightly dressed and I’ll admit I can’t remember exactly in what, as too many brain cells have been lost. Course two was oysters served on the shell on a sea salt crush. We asked for some salsa and were provided a delicious hand made red mix. Third offering was a fish ceviche. My favorite course was a grilled quail that was obviously what I had been smelling all of this time from the grill’s smoke. I’m not a quail fan, but, this little guy from Drew’s grill was special. It had a light crust with juicy innards. Best “wings” ever. Quail = Codorniz in esp’. Our last course was a delicious fatty pork, grilled along with some veggies. All of the food and flavors were so fresh and fulfilling, that I wanted to come back here for a late dinner to try more. But, we had a plan. I’ll have to wait for my next visit to try more items on the menu. This place may be my favorite restaurant in the valley. And I’ll have to hurry back because it’s a seasonal restaurant and it’s likely only open for a few more WEEKS! (646) 151-7700

Stop #7 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Returned to Ochentos Pizzariarustica in the wine valley last weekend. It was a much more pleasant experience than my first visit in December 2011.

We arrived at late dusk and I was happy that I remembered my flashlight to navigate the 100 yard walk from the rear parking lot to the dining room. We also brought our beverage “kit”, to supplement whatever Ochentos new beverage offering might be that evening.

When I think pizza, I also think beer. But, Ochentos seems to be locked into hommage to the wine valley and does not offer beer. I asked for some water and two more glasses into which I would pour beer from my beverage “kit”. BUSTED!

Our waiterette told us that beers were a no-no. She would allow our wine for a descorcho fee of 65 pesos. In this case, it was a “screwage” fee for our screwtop Norton Cabernet. Once we got the wine flowing, we were thankful to survive our 2nd beverage drama in two visits to Ochento.

Hey, it’s their house, so their rules rule. And I’m a supporter of corkage fees. The house needs to make some gross profit on their wine inventory, so a corkage barrier let’s you decide on their stuff or BYOB.

This Saturday evening, the restaurant was at approx two-thirds capacity. Service and attention were good.

Our veg pie arrived in about 30 minutes and was steaming hot. Love the 8″ risers that lift the pizzas above table level to allow more room for plates, beverages and more.



Ochentos crust is on the thin side of medium. Cheese strings add to the serving and chewing fun. Black olives, onions and peppers still have some texture to compliment the dough and cheese. I like this pizza.

Ochentos gets lots of ooohs and aaahs as THE place to go for pizza in Baja. I’ll be generous and say that it is good. But, it would be considered one slice of tomato above average in any major city in the U.S. This comment should bring me a nasty reply. It has taken me 21 months to return to Ochentos, so that’s a clue. Your mileage may vary.

I like the scene with both indoor and a big honkin’ outdoor dining room. Light live jazz/lounge music enhances the vibe.

(646) 130 0651 (646) 156 8305 http://www.ochentospizza.com ochentospizza@hotmail.com






[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Stop #8 of 11, September 2012 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Our two night stay at Malagon’s provided everything we needed as a base for exploration of the wine valley. Malagon’s is within a few miles of most of the Valle de Guadalupe’s wineries and restaurants.

We hiked the hills and enjoyed big breakfasts both mornings, whipped up by the engaging Lazaro.

The Malagon lounge TV also allowed my catchup on the college football scene. But, let’s not forget that this B&B is situated in the middle of a grape farm.

I would be very happy sipping Malagon’s Grenache for the rest of my life. The wine…
2007 Equua
This is a story of returning to our family roots for the love of the land and the idea of preservation. Equua is a blend of two varieties- 80% Grenache, harvested from over 50 year old vines, and 20% Petite Sirah which is bold and vibrant, aged seven months in new white oak barrels.

2007 Malagon Family Reserva
A blend of four varieties: 56% Cabernet, 24% Grenache, 15% Petite Syrah, and 5% Merlot. A very elegant wine, aged twelve months in new French oak barrels.

2006 Equua
This is a story of returning to our family roots for the love of the land and the idea of preservation. Equua is a blend of two varieties- 70% Grenache, harvested from over 50 year old vines, and 30% Petite Sirah which is bold and vibrant, aged seven months in new white oak barrels.

2006 Malagon Family Reserva
A blend of four varieties: Grenache, Petite Syrah, Cabernet, and Merlot. A very elegant wine, aged twelve months in new French oak barrels.

2006 El Grenache
100% Grenache. El Grenache is an expression of love and longevity, perseverance to land that is a noble and humble

2005 Malagon Family Reserve – Vino Tinto
A Cabernet-Merlot mix, that speaks of the romance and love between the soils of the land and our family, which is expressed through it’s aromas, color, and texture achieved from twelve months of aging in new French oak barrels.


...view from the hiking hills, north side, looking down at Malagon's B&B and vineyards.

Suggest making a reservation for wine tasting EMail info@vinedosmalagon.com
Mexico Office – 011 (52) 646 1552102
Wine Sales – Rachel Malagon (949) 547-8776






[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Stop#9 of 11, September Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour
After our hike in the hills, breakfast and checkout at Malagon’s on Sunday, we started driving south through El Porvenir to see which winery would jump out and grab us. Viñas Pijoan was the first grab.

Viñas Pijoan had good signs on the El Porvenir road. The entrance is west of the road approx 100m and through a big gate. We were greeted by the friendly four legged attendant shown here. Written instuctions suggested ringing the bell to announce our arrival.



We brought our own bottled water, because we were still recovering from yesterday’s adventures. Most of the wineries will provide water for you.

Mauricio was happy to see us this sleepy Sunday and gave us the Pijoan story, including the family’s Catalan origin.

Along with the wine, Mauricio sliced off some bread and cheese with some olive oil. Nice touch.

The wines are all blends and named after the family members. Convertible Roja is the exception to the naming convention as that is Pau Pjoan’s red Corvette investment.

If you only visit the Valle de Guadalupe’s “big box” wineries, you will miss a lot of fun. Try the smaller spots to get into the roots of wine making. We were about an hour too early to meet the family. Really want to see what their cava looks like on my next visit.

The wine:

Sil is a Chenin blanc base with Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier and Moscatel

Paulinha is a blend of Merlot and Zinfandel with a bit of Petite Sirah

Domenica is Grenache base with Petite Syrah and Cabernet

Mare is 70% Zinfandel with Cabernet and Merlot

Leonora is a Cabernet and Merlot blend, the signature wine of the house

Convertible Roja is Ruby Cabernet with some Barbera and Colombard.

(646)171-7179 (646)151-0925 http://www.vinospijoan.com/ info@vinospijoan.com

Located at K12 of the El Porvenir Road, approx 1K south of the wash area, west side of the road.

Stop #10 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

We attempted to cold call Adobe Guadalupe Winery Saturday, but, the kind guard at the gate informed us that wine tastings were by appointment only. The good news about this is that you are assured of not being treated as if you were part of a goat herd if the winery is busy. FYI, most wineries are open and available during summer weekends. Regardless of the season, it’s always a good idea to make a reservation.

If your Spanglish can handle por favor, degustacion(tasting), los dias de la semana, dos personas, que hora? and gracias you are ready to make your reservation. In reality, English is available at the majority of wineries and restaurants in El Valle de Guadalupe.

Called Adobe Guadalupe Sunday at 11AM and reserved our tasting and tour for 2PM. Adobe Guadalupe also offers English language tastings/tours.

We arrived in sunshine at 2PM, “en punta”, and were escorted through the courtyard and to the kitchen. This spacious country kitchen is where meals are prepared for overnight guests. As our scheduled tour guide was wrapping up another tour, we were given a cold glass of rose and enjoyed it in the courtyard under shade.



Within 5 minutes, Luis arrived to begin our tour. We were escorted by the pool, which is the ceiling for Adobe Guadalupe’s wine cellar. At the entry to the cellar, the bottles of “Angels” were lined up along with some water, bread, olives and olive oil for our tasting. Luis is an engaging and representative of his winery and was good about taking time to educate us about the wine.

Uriel: Syrah, Cab Franc, Chenin Blanc, Grenache, Muscat Blanc, Tempranillo, Viognier

Serafiel: Cabernet plus Syrah

Miguel: Tempranillo, Grenache, Cabernet

Gabriel: Cabernet, Cab Franc, Malbec, Merlot

Kerubiel: Syrah, Grenache, Morvedre

Rafael: Cabernet and Nebbiolo

I did not note which years of the vintages we were tasting, but, the Gabriel, Kerubiel and Rafael wines were as smooth and complex as anything that I have tasted in the valley. Luis also treated us to the Adobe Guadalupe “Lucifer” Mescal, just in case we needed a kick to our day.



A sad note to pass along is that the Adobe Guadalupe winery lost its founding father, Don Miller this September. “Un gran angel sube al cielo. Descanse en paz.” Best wishes to Tru Miller, her family and staff.

We enjoyed meeting all of the angels at Adobe Guadalupe.

Adobe Guadalupe is a MUST DO for wine tasting in the Valle de Guadalupe to date. There are approximately 60 wineries, so it will take me some time to enjoy and compare all of them.

Adobe Guadalupe Video

(646) 155-2094 / 155-2527 info@adobeguadalupe.com

[Edited on 10-5-2013 by bajadock]

Stop #11 of 11, September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour

Our wine valley tour was over, but, vacation was still on. It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon winding north on the Tijuana-Ensenada free road from El Valle de Guadalupe. The free road provides a rural look inland and a slightly lazier pace when it rejoins the 4 lane Toll Road/Hwy 1 at La Mision. You will discover shops, taco stands and other adventures on the Free Road that you would miss from the Toll Road.

The Pontiac Vibrator headed to The Point at Calafia, K35.5. This was my second visit in 4 days. The combination of view, ambience, food, service and beverages make The Point at Calafia one of the best ocean view restaurants on the northern Baja coastline.



We settled in for margaritas and beers to accompany our ceviche pescado and ceviche diablo. The diablo was supposed to be spicy, but, it was mild. We ordered some hand made salsa to move the mix of fish, octopus and shrimp toward a faster dance.

We were sitting at the ocean side edge of the outdoor dining room enjoying the crashing waves while recounting our adventures in the wine valley. Sunset was coming soon and that would be the end of our tour. The only question we were asking was, “When will our next wine valley tour start?”.

Suggest you “like” the Point via their Facebook Page in order to catch specials like today(2 Oct)…





Excluding The Point, this map spots the 10 stops of our September 2013 Valle de Guadalupe Cork Trail Tour:


For new wine valley adventurers, the distance from Los Globos Cremeria, at the stop light in San Antonio de las Minas to Malegon’s in Francisco Zarco is 10 miles. That should assure you that you are never more than 20 minutes away when hopping to and fro the wineries and restaurants. The full Valle de Guadalupe Interactive map is HERE.

Please share your Valle de Guadalupe finds and adventures. CHEERS.






[Edited on 10-5-2013 by BajaNomad]

Amazing adventure, Doc......and all right in our own back yard.

The valley looks like a good place to open a "Liver Rejuvenation Clinic" with a Statin Bar.

You're welcome.
Ohhhhhhh......you mean Doc.


Jes kiddin'.

Doc, that is a 'sporteating' & drinking adventure to say the least! Wow. Great info. Glad to see this pop back to first page, I missed it somehow.

Amazing the transformation in the Valle in recent years.

I may pass on the 'grommet' eating but the rest looks fantastic.