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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
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Registered: 10-17-2006
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What is your current favorite Red wine available in Baja?
I have not been down in a while. What are your current favorite reds? I like big fruit, high alcohol, since it usually means big fruit, balance and
long finish. I like Shiraz, Malbec or Rhone blends.
Chilean, Argentine or Australian can be good and very reasonably priced.
I plan to make a wine stop in Ensenada.
Any suggestions appreciated.
Iflyfishwithaglassofred
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Hook
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I think you should also try some Carmenere while you're down there. It's coming from Chile. Not as big as most Shiraz or Malbecs but there are a
number of wimpy Malbecs on the market in Mexico, now.
For inexpensive ones, I've found good results with the Santa Carolina wines. Cabs, Carmeneres, Merlots.
Also liking the pinotages from South Africa that is available in Mexico. A blend of pinot noir and cinsaut. Maybe not "big" enough for your palette,
though.
Shiraz are rather rare down here. Zins even rarer; although, surprisingly, you didnt mention Zins and they are often big fruit, big alcohol affairs.
Cabs are more common. Lots of tempranillos from Spain.
Other brands whose vinos tintos I have liked that are reasonable (around 20.00US or under) are: Trivento, Adobe, Graffigna, Nieto, Protos, Pascual
Toso, Ventisquero, Sunrise. Concha y Toro are very prevalent and reasonably priced but I've not liked many of the last couple vintages.
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skipowell
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Vinisterra
We love all the wines that The Vinestera Winery from Guadelupe Valley puts out but their Domino label that is very reasonable is a great value.
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CortezBlue
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Personally I don't drink wine, but I am in the middle of building my wife a wine vault.
I know she is into earthquake and 7 deadly zins for here day to day vino
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vandenberg
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As a connoisseur of fine wines, I appreciate Franzia's Cabernet or Merlot in the 5 liter Box. 
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DavidE
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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Blend a bottle of carbernet sauvignon with a bottle of merlot and shake 'em up good.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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EdZeranski
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Mood: Si! Como no???
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Wine??
Lets see... Chateau Screwtop is good.....or the square ones with a handle.
EdZ
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Iflyfish
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My taste in Zin goes to the Litton Springs before Ridge purchased them. Big, Jammy with lots of tannin and long finish. Hard to beat.
I have enjoyed some Tempranillos but have not found any that stand out, love the spice, but most I have tasted lack the depth and balance.
I spent my youth in California tasting wines in my spare time and so have sampled more than my share. When one does that you develop the capacity to
identify what you really like and in time can identify more and more flavors.
It's like beer, there are so many varieties and styles, one could go on forever drinking them and never taste them all.
Esters are what we experience as flavors. Wine has the most esters of any food with cheese coming in second. Try a nice red with a sharp cheddar or
aged gouda and a slice of granny smith apple and you will experience one of life's great pleasures. One of my all time favorite desert is a cheap,
crisp ginger snap dunked in red wine! The Italians developed this via a ginger biscotti that was baked for this purpose. Give it a try sometime.
As to sloshing Cabernet and Merlot together, its actually a great idea. The French have been doing it for centuries and call it Bordeaux. Rather good
that!
I have had some good box wine but have not found any consistently to my liking. I think that the screw top was a flash of brilliance and a much better
way to "cork" a bottle.
One can find some excellent wine at very low prices. There is a glut of grapes on the market and hence a proliferation of fine wine including second
labels of very fine wine that vintners have had to sell because of the recession. This is one of the best times to learn about wine, it is abundant,
excellent and cheap. I am in many ways sorry I have a cellar as there are so many wonderful and inexpensive wines out there.
It is hard to find a really bad Australian Shiraz, that was the first grape they planted there and so there are some very mature vines used in
production. They also have some wonderful Chards at very good prices. Cost does not necessarily equate with quality.
Isn't Franzia used for starter fluid? For a good sit on the stoop and wait for the next handout or stand around a burning barrel I prefer Thunderbird
in a brown paper bag! To each his/her own!
Thanks for the tips guys and gals. Salud!!
Iflyfishonwobblylegs
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PlanB
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There is a cafe sign on the left heading south from Tecate, about KM 100 or so, at the north end of the town, that sells no-label local red at MXN150
a bottle that is good and without nitrites; so if one is into enjoying aheavy red wine and not necessarily the label, a stop at that cafe is time
well spent.
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Hook
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Silly me. I thought we were talking about wines you could get in MEXICO. 
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
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Now your talkin'! I understand that there are some very fine wines coming out of that region, but my experience has been that they are pricey and some
of those I have tasted are of dubious distinction. If I head down that route this time I will stop there for sure!!
Thanks
Iflyfishwithsobrietyinthemorning
| Quote: | Originally posted by PlanB
There is a cafe sign on the left heading south from Tecate, about KM 100 or so, at the north end of the town, that sells no-label local red at MXN150
a bottle that is good and without nitrites; so if one is into enjoying aheavy red wine and not necessarily the label, a stop at that cafe is time
well spent. |
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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There are several excellent red wines from the Guadalupe Valley....Malagon, Liceaga, and yes, L.A. Cetto. You can usually buy the wine at the winery,
or there are several places in the Ensenada arer that are wine co-ops that handle the majority of Guadalupe Valley wines
[Edited on 11-20-2012 by bajaguy]
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Iflyfish
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Thanks for the tips bajaguy. I have not had Malagon or Liceaga, had Cetto years ago and poured it out. No doubt the methods and products have
improved. I have seen some Nebliolos and maybe even Barolos from Guadalupe Valley. Ever had any? I imagine that the wines PlanB is referring to are
second pressings or surplus. That is what is happening here in the States, most wineries now offering second labels and low cost alternatives to their
first line labels. They have to do something with their surplus of wine.
Iflyfishsloshedlikethefishes
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bajaguy
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Smart & Final in Ensenada carries several GV wines. There is also a wine shop at 6th and Moctezuma, near the park. Another shop is at the south
end of the tourist strip near the corner of Calle Primera and Miramar. LA Cetto has a boutique on your left south of the Z gas propane distributor as
you enter town from the north.
I have poured out wines from the Napa Valley that just didn't cut it.
Nebiolos and Tempranillos are always good.
Also, the Santo Tomas winery on Macheros between 6th and 7th street has various selections.
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PlanB
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Yes, they are second pressings. Also available are small quantities in bring your own bottles, at Cormondu. We got Missiones cuttings up in Jan
Javier + three years ago and now have those vines ready to start producing in the California foothills as well as in Mulege. Those parent vines
haven't changed since the padres had to walk it off the next morning.
All of these "locals" are very rich in sediments; the lees or "dregs" produced during wine making are rich sources of antioxidants. Unexpectedly,
these materials show significant antibacterial properties as well as antioxidant properties. It is for those medicinal aspects that one should enjoy
or endure a glass of red daily; OK maybe a red cup.
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capitolkat
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REd wines that are available
Alamos- Malbec-- is available at Costco and the Vinoteca in Los Cabos. A really hearty wine with good finish, good balance, and a nice nose. it's my
cellar protector wine that I serve when folks are visiting that I know don't drink much wine.
Life is too short to drink bad wine
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Sweetwater
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Mood: chilly today hot tomale
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Mmmmmmmm........wine...........nothing better than backyard Cabernet.......
Everbody\'s preachin\' at me that we all wanna git to heaven, trouble is, nobody wants to die to git there.-BB King
Reality is what does not go away when you stop believing in it. -Philip K Dick
Nothing is worse than active ignorance. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(1749-1832, German writer, artist and politician)
When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I\'ve never tried before. - Mae West
Experience is what keeps a man who makes the same mistake twice from admitting it the third time around.
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Howard
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As I write this, I am in San Quintin at the Villa Hotel and heading to Guadalupe Valley tomorrow for some tasting. I have around 6 hours to do this
and usually wind up at L. A. Cetto but really not that familiar with some other wineries.
Any suggestions which ones to go to? I am spending the night in the Valley so no problem over indulging.
By the way, one of the best wines I have ever had was a 2005 L. A. Cetto Nebbiolo! A large reward to anyone who can find me some!
We don't stop playing because we grow old;
we grow old because we stop playing
George Bernard Shaw
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Santiago
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Howie: try Sol y Barra and Tres Mujeras. Not for the wines, but for the enjoyment of talking with people who are into the wine making process from
one end to the other. They are next to each other and will give you a different look into the valley. the wines are generally blends with greneche
being the common feature. They are over-priced from a strictly oneophile POV (as are most wines in Baja) but more than fair after an hour of
wonderful conversation. Try Las Nubes on the north side of the valley in the hills - the view is outstanding and the winery is brandnew and fairly
large - a good example of the up and coming wine makers who have money behind them. In ten years the valley is going to be rocking.
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Iflyfish
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3747
Registered: 10-17-2006
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Wow Sweetwater, I am as impressed as those grapes! Only tried to make grape wine once....vinegar. Crushed the grapes with my feet, that may have been
the problem. Nice outfit!
Thanks for all the great suggestions.
Iflyfish
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