Tag Archives: Wine

Valle de Guadalupe: Alximia, Hacienda La Lomita, Las Nubes and Barón Balché

I am sure that we all have that one place where we can go to escape, clear our heads, and even feel inspired. It’s that one place, that while we can’t be there, we day dream about it in our minds. Well, as you might have figured out by now, for me that is El Valle de Guadalupe. Every time we head down there, we experience more sprawling areas of vineyard beauty, different wines, and more cuisine options.

There is a quote that I absolutely love in the Ralph Amey’s Wines of Baja California book: “To enjoy a delicious wine is truly a pleasure, but to experience it along with the beauty of the land in which the grapes were nurtured and where the wine was created then becomes a revelation.”

I couldn’t have said it better, it truly is something else..

This time around we had the chance to visit Alximia, Hacienda La Lomita, Las Nubes, and Barón Balché. The weather was just beautiful last weekend, and got me so excited for the nearly approaching Spring and Summer season.

Alximia has been in El Valle de Guadalupe since 2006, but has only been open to the public for just about a year. The Eco- friendly, space ship-like building is still under construction, and expected to be completed by June-July this year. The main structure was built keeping in mind, that they want to maximize the use of all of the natural rescources that they can.

The building is designed to catch rain water, to keep the vines watered even during the hottest times of the year. The openings of the building are strategically placed so that the winds are able to circulate throughout the building, keeping it cool and at an ideal temperature for the wines. It really is a unique structure, and is sure to catch the eyes of visitors.

The exterior color of the main building at Hacienda La Lomita is just gorgeous. Not to mention stepping out to the iron railing with your glass of wine, and being able to just breathe in all of nature’s beauty. The tasting room did fill up quite quickly, so it was nice to step out and discover a little on our own. They offer a tour of the property as well, for those of you who are interested.
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Valle de Guadalupe: Cavas del Mogor and Corazón de Tierra

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Cavas del Mogor, Valle de Guadalupe
It may not come as a shock to you, that we headed to El Valle de Guadalupe to celebrate Antonio’s birthday. We don’t necessarily need any type of excuse to pay a visit, but with such beautiful scenery, and amazing meals at our finger tips, how can you resist? I was just happy that it had stopped raining, after the previous day of the lovely hail and rain that we had. We got down to El Valle a couple of hours before our lunch reservation at Corazón de Tierra, so a wine tasting and visit to their Farmers Market could have not been more necessary. It’s such a shame staring at all of the gorgeous produce, just knowing that I wasn’t able to bring any home with me, but we did bring home a beautiful jar of olives. We finally got to tasting them last night, let’s just say there is no longer a need to buy jarred olives at the store any more.

Cavas del Mogor, Valle de Guadalupe

"Cavas

For 50 pesos the wine tasting of Cavas del Mogor that day consisted of one white, and two reds. With the blustery air blowing by, sipping the Chassellas de Badan had me picturing the hot summer days and a nice ceviche. The second red, a French and Mexican grape Syrah-Grenache blend, and the third their most popular Mogor Badan Red Bordeaux blend. Before the Mogor Badan tasting was poured into our glasses, we all got to head down to their cava. That is really an experience all on its own. The smells, and sights are just unbelievable. First thing that popped into both Antonio’s and my mind was, “Wow! Could you just imagine what a dinner party would be like here?” We can dream can’t we…

Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California
Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe

The couple of hours at Las Cavas de Mogor passed by in the blink of an eye, and it was time to sit down at Corazon de Tierra for lunch. The views from your table seem to get even more magnificent with each visit, and the meal that we enjoyed, well there are not many words to describe it. I always leave in a blissful state, feeling so inspired after dining at this restaurant.

Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe

The smoked tuna amuse bouche, was delicate and just the right way to begin the rest of the afternoon.

Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe
An array of different lettuces, picked fresh from the garden outside, with pine nuts, and local cheese. Underneath the green leaves, was a tomato-olive puree. Every bite, I worked my way around the plate ensuring that I had each component on my fork. Oh, and those baby carrots, who knew such a tiny vegetable could be bursting with such sweetness.

Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe
After each meal that my husband and I enjoy together, we can’t help but ask ourselves what was our favorite of the day. It was difficult to choose from so many outstanding dishes, but the Barnacles came slightly above the rest. The acidity from the lime juice covered barnacles, and the avocado puree was just heavenly. The barnacles had the perfect texture to them. You can’t finish that plate without eating the Purple flower that tastes exactly like an Oyster. If you have never tried one, please do when it ends up on your plate. We all looked at each other at the table, with such smiles on our faces.
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Valle de Guadalupe: Baja California’s Enchanting Wine Country

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Being in El Valle de Guadalupe there is always this feeling of serenity that I can not get enough of. On our most recent trip we were celebrating Father’s day. We rarely ever have a plan or set agenda, it’s more like we make the drive down there and see where we end up. With our stomachs doing the talking, you never know what we will be in the mood for. This time around our first stop was at a little road side stand bearing a sign that said “Barbacoa”. So you may have guessed it, we stopped for of course barbacoa, as well as tacos de lengua. The smell of the lamb meat was just intoxicating. It is honestly the random food stops that have such simplicity and quality, that make me love food just that much more. You might now think that it is possible, but it is all about the world of exploration.
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Ruta del Vino

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Ruta del Vino
For as many times as we head south almost every weekend, we haven’t been to the vineyards in a while. My mother in law invited us to Ochento’s pizza as a continuation of my husband’s birthday celebration. The weather could have not been more perfect for the occasion. It felt more like a summer afternoon, rather than it being only February.
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