Santiago
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Baja wine valley not so good: Link fixed on edit
Disturbing news regarding the Valle: https://eedition2.sacbee.com/popovers/dynamic_article_popove...
We have been planning a Spring trip next year and are astounded at the number of new overpriced and underwhelming hotels; we're talking
$450-$700/night with fancy webpages and zero history. Two of the places we have been staying at over the last 15 years are completely booked for a
random weekend in March - crazy.
We will abandon our normal routine of a few old friends and some startups and just visit the ones that have been there for 15-20 years to get a feel
of what they are thinking.
We suspect we won't be pleased with what we hear if this article is accurate.
[Edited on 12-6-2023 by Santiago]
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mtgoat666
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Mood: Hot n spicy
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Your link does not work.
But to your point, yes, valle de guadalupe is now a tourist trap. It was much nicer back in the 90s and before. (There are a few nice restaurants
now, and weren't many in the beginning.)
Oh, well.
There are still nice places in baja. When you find one, don't tell anyone!
[Edited on 12-6-2023 by mtgoat666]
Woke!
“...ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” “My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America
will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man.”
Prefered gender pronoun: the royal we
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Ateo
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TikTok blew up Valle....
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surfhat
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My first try and the article came through. Do try again.
I hope the specialness of the Valle can be preserved and those who try in their own way deserve our consideration and a visit.
Music concerts in the Valle? How about some peace and quiet to go with the world class cuisine and vino and the million dollar views over the
vineyards?
That peace and quiet and mother nature's finest deserve respect, not loud music that carries for miles.
Concerts have their place in the cities where it is loud all the time anyway.
Acoustic concerts could work and not affect the neighbors quality of life.
My few times in the Valle were exemplary for the lodging, food, wine, and the quietude. I am hoping for more of that this coming winter.
There are so many new offerings, choosing one will be difficult.
Crossing South on PBS offers some great choices to keep in mind every week. Thanks Jorge. So do a few here who share their experiences. Please keep
them coming.
Let's hope the Valle's best days are still to come through making the Valle a protected region of some kind that keeps the focus on preserving what
makes it the special place it is.
The Valle's proprietors have the talent to know what should be done to preserve the future. Sometimes co-ops have their place.
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bajaric
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The link worked for me, no paywall.
The county of Napa adopted a 40-acre minimum parcel size to preserve the agricultural nature of the valley. Also, no building on ridge lines, etc.
That is why the Napa Valley is a world-famous destination and not just another suburb of the Bay area blanketed by condominiums.
They should preserve the rural, agricultural nature of the Guadalupe Valley in the same way, by adopting the effective and well enforced zoning laws
that Mexico is known for. (sarcasm)
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Don Jorge
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Quote: Originally posted by surfhat  | My first try and the article came through. Do try again.
I hope the specialness of the Valle can be preserved and those who try in their own way deserve our consideration and a visit.
Music concerts in the Valle? How about some peace and quiet to go with the world class cuisine and vino and the million dollar views over the
vineyards?
That peace and quiet and mother nature's finest deserve respect, not loud music that carries for miles.
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Sorry, but that Valle no longer exists. There is nare a place left in the Valle where the boom boom cannot be heard until the wee hours. I know the
Valle well, very well. I go to the valle often to visit old friends but it is not the same peaceful place it once was and never will be..
I lived in el valle for 13 years in the 80s and early 90s. Back then we were tearing out hundreds of acres of old grape vines, mostly muscat and
tempranillo. Domec and Cetto were only paying $40 per ton and mostly to make brandy.
The Russo landowners said f it f them and we rented hundreds of hectares from Santiago "Jim" Bibayof, Andres Samaduran, Hector Fuentes, Alex Samarin
and others. We grew cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and other vegetables where once were grapes.
Jim Bibayof was the first one to get the ball rolling on making good wine there. After we quit due to drought and salinity issues in the well water
Jim rented his place to Monte Xanic founded by Hans Backoff. Hans was the first to really see the potential in the area for fine winemaking and
after his success the valley began to see other vintners enter the scene. I believe Hans' son is the CEO there now.
Today the valley is a prime example of uncontrolled growth meets money laundering. Wonder about those high prices. Wonder why they are sold out and
no-one is there. Hmmm.
Btw, that is the best article I have read on the Valley. Thanks for posting it. They bullet point many of the issues facing existing and further
growth. Natalia is no doubt wondering wtf has happened here. Lots of us are.
Water water water is the gorilla in the room. I have seen what happens when the winter rains go on hiatus. The quantity and quality of all the water
wells in the valley is severely compromised during droughts, except where Cetto has his place. That location is also where Ensenada pumps water from
and they are both on the mother lode aquifer. Lots of sweet water in that part of the valley. Lets hope it keeps raining every winter or yikes.
Photo is from around 1988 on Bibayoff now Monte Xanic land.
�And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry
years. It was always that way.�― John Steinbeck
"All models are wrong, but some are useful." George E.P. Box
"Nature bats last." Doug "Hayduke" Peac-ck
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Santiago
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Good post DJ, and good to see a perspective of someone who was there.
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