Valle De Guadelupe , Baja road trip
Valle de Guadalupe is, as the name implies, a small valley in Baja California, just a breezy 2 hours south of San Diego. We started the trip in the early morning, not quite sure what to expect. Neither of us had ever driven to Baja via car; did we need to do anything special? Did we have to call and tell someone we were just up and leaving the country? Will we get lost? We pushed this all to the back of our minds and headed south. Around 2 hours later, we arrived at the Mexican border, it was smooth sailing. We passed a sign that said “U-Turn here for United States” and laughed,
Next thing you know you’re on the other side of the border wall. A contrasting image compared to life miles away. We drove along until we got to the toll road, which will take you wherever you need to go for a few dollars. On our way to Valle de Guadalupe there were 3 stops for 2 USD each, so bring a little cash. We cruised along the coast until Ensenada, then cut across into wine country.
As soon as we started into the heart of Baja, the scenery changed from beautiful crashing ocean, to gorgeous yellow wildflowers, and a horizon dappled with mountains long and beautiful. We wound our way between fields of gold and orange, stopping at the small towns along the way for treats and views, eventually making it to our destination.
Valle de Guadalupe isn’t as popular of a travel destination as some other locations in Baja, except maybe amongst serious enjoyers of the vino. In recent years, the delicious wines and peaceful vistas have earned Guadalupe a reputation as Mexico’s own Napa Valley.
With more than 200 wineries, scores of award-winning restaurants, breathtaking views, and a fairly easy to accomplish travel time from major metropolitan California, Valle de Guadalupe makes for a great excursion.
Since we left early Friday morning, we had plenty of time to settle ourselves into our Airbnb, “The Pangea”. On our drive down the small dirt road, we became friendly and acquainted with the neighbors: two other vineyards, with fresh grapes on the property of the Airbnb.
The Pangea Airbnb
After dropping out stuff, our first stop was Deckmans, a wood-fired masterpiece located within a vineyard 15 minutes north. We took our time to savor the flavors. Shops and restaurants in Valle de Guadalupe are rightfully very proud of their heritage and the high quality of the local ingredients they utilize. At Deckmans we were told about the fresh vegetables supplied by their 3 family farms nearby. Olive oil is extra virgin, from their own production. Fish is supplied right from the Baja coast, sustainably caught. Even the pollinators are in the family, as all 3 farms keep healthy beehives on-site. Our server told us, “this is slow food, not fast food”, and we could taste the effort the Earth had poured into every component of our meal.
Inspired by this slow-food mindset, we were in no hurry for the rest of the afternoon, stopping wherever we felt like. Media Perra was a major highlight. We “accidentally” followed a sign for “Cerveza Artisinal”, or craft beer, on a seriously dead end road. I looked at Amelia, she nodded, we kept going and ended up at an architectural triumph. The family at Media Perra has been brewing since 2008. They talked us through some of their lovely selection, and we enjoyed sips and sun in good company.
Media Perra
Once the cerveza had settled, we got up the courage to scope out the “Anthony Bourdain” speciality spot in town. Taqueria la Principal. You know the tacos are going to be good when they give you the plates with plastic over them. This open-air restaurant had just a couple options and a few beverages (in my opinion often a sign of the high quality to come— being the absolute best by honing in on those few things). We sat with the rest of the locals on their red Coca-Cola furniture, which made the tacos all the better. Easily some of the best tacos I’ve ever had in my life. For 20 pesos, it’s hard to imagine anything better. If you want to taste them yourself, find them here:
The next day, our lovely host Dres treated us to a light breakfast and coffee in the morning air outside the Airbnb. We chatted for a while, as he told us all about how he’d ended up there, and we left with a few recommendations on what to try that day.
We started at Vinos Pijoan, which was a decent hangout with some great looking food. It didn’t quite scratch that “family run” itch we’d grown accustomed to the previous day, but was still a very nice experience.
Next stop: 3 Mujeres Vineyard, perhaps one of the most picturesque places I’ve ever been. Founded as a co-op between three women, this environmentally friendly farm produces a little over 4,000 bottles a year. Organic growing is hugely important to these mujeres, and they could not stress enough how much they wanted to give back to the land that was providing them their livelihood. As we drank and ate, the chef was so happy to tell us exactly where all the local ingredients came from, I swear he could have cried tears of joy. He pointed to the tree next to us and explained how the figs with the cheese we were eating came from right here on this very tree, and it felt spectacular to be able to reach up and find exactly what we were consuming in the state it was before being prepared by expert hands.
We spent the afternoon leisurely strolling through the fields at 3 Mujeres, tossing a ball for a local dog who took liking to us. Amelia told me she could have died right there, happy, and I couldn’t have agreed more. The place is teeming with beauty, all overgrown flowers in every color, chicken content to strut about, dogs and cats lazing in the sun. I can’t wait to return in August when the grapes come into season.
Meals in the vinyard with our new friend.
For dinner on this last evening, we tried the tasting menu at Lunario. This culinary experience will exist as one of the most special in my mind for a long time to come. For 6 courses (9 if you count some hidden throughout), we were dazzled by fresh local flavors, ranging from octopus tacos to blue corn tamales. The breadth of ingredients covered was intense. The chef really told the story of Baja in a modern way with a variety of twists to local Mexican cuisine. The locale was beautiful, with an ambiance enhanced by the Mariachi band playing just outside. This contrasted nicely with an almost Danish-feeling on the interior, bringing me right back to last summer which you can read about here . For 2 and a half hours, we tasted our way through the best the Valle de Guadalupe had to offer.
The drive back was as simple as the way in (though I ran into a small hiccup at the second checkpoint with my Global Entry). It’s anyone’s guess at how long the crossing between the Tijuana and San Diego border will take you, but throw caution to the wind because it’s worth the visit. Be patient, and remember, it’s not fast food, it’s slow food.