La Casa de Doña Lupe
Mexico ’s Magical and Medicinal Organic Wines

By Steve Dryden

“Welcome home” is the theme for the La Casa de Doña Lupe organic winery in Baja’s wine growing region of Guadalupe Valley northeast of Ensenada. “Welcome home” meaning welcome back to nature, our natural heritage, and to the warmth of friends and sincerity. Visiting this winery is like a walk back into time when mom was preparing healing love-based dishes, tending the garden and waiting for her loved ones to return home to reap the harvest of natural foods, family love and traditional values. It’s a delightful discovery to find something real and natural in today’s fast paced and commercial society. Do yourself and your family a favor and follow your heart and the taste buds of you thoughts down memory lane to this Baja winery where you can enjoy the hospitality of real people and enjoy healthy natural food and organic wine. This winery is a blessing!

In 1968 Doña Lupe and her son, Daniel Yi Cordova arrived in Guadalupe Valley and joined a handful of local country farmers growing grapes. Dona Lupe is no stranger to country life and she fully understands the power of working and living in harmony with nature. Her childhood days on a remote ranch near Sonora gave her the opportunity to grow food, can fruits, preserves and vegetables, raise cattle, make soap, keep beehives, and make leather goods from rawhide. She rode two days on her horse to get to the next town for supplies and socials. Her family settled in Guadalupe Valley planting grapes, making jug wines, and selling grapes to some of the bigger wineries. She made the decision to create an organic farm and vineyard working with the abundant natural resources in the area. Today she has one of the finest organic vineyards in Mexico!

Daniel Yi Cordova grew up in Baja’s premier wine growing region experimenting and studying the art of making organic wines for eight years. He inherited his mother’s creative nature, independence and determination to work with nature harvesting superior natural products. He fought local criticism and negative attitudes towards organic vineyards, but in spite of all the obstacles was able to master his skills in creating outstanding organic wines. He uses no herbicides, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, added sulfates, or any other toxic poisons in the fields or in his organic winemaking processes. His wine reflects the supreme integrity and purity of nature working through those who love and respect all that is natural. Dona Lupe and Daniel’s hard work has brought success to this family of creative naturalists and artisans.

The family and staff at La Casa de Doña Lupe have pooled their energies along with nature to produce some outstanding organic products and wines. Daniel handcrafts several excellent wines each season with limited production to ensure superior quality. Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 is an excellent example of natural and organic wine evident upon the first pleasant taste, pure aroma of berries and cherries, silky, voluptuous, black currant fruit, hint of fresh mint with firm subtle tannins and fine structure. He makes a wonderful 2002 Zinfandel blend with ten percent Grenache aged in oak for thirty-six months with six to twelve months bottle aging. This favorite local delight displays ripe berry aromas with mild acidic stone fruit and berry flavors, supported by mild, smooth mid tannins. It’s a wonderful organic treat that compliments any sun-dried or fresh tomato-based dishes, carne asada, prime rib, chicken fajitas and much more.

La Casa de Doña Lupe makes other superior organic wines including a 2002 Tempranillo , 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon-Grenache blend, 2003 Honey wine and a late harvest porto style Grenache. Later this summer they plan to release 2004 Merlot, 2004 Barbara, and 2004 Syrah. All their wines retail for $20 or less and are excellent values.

In addition to creating tantalizing and marvelous organic wines Dona Lupe has several other natural and organic culinary delights available for visitors at their beautiful and scenic country winery. She makes and sells organic jams, jellies, marmalades, pickles, salsas, cookies, cheese, olive oil, honey, flax seed, ground grape seeds, dried herbs, herbal medicines, and natural cholesterol reducing supplements. The tasting room is always filled with samples of their many fine products and is known as one of the friendliest and full-filled wineries in the region. Tables are available on the patio where you can enjoy a refreshing breeze and view the surrounding mountains and vineyards.

It’s great time to be drinking organic and natural wines with medical researchers and professionals around the world proclaiming the health benefits of drinking one or two glasses of wine per day. Organic wine gives you the added blessing of being free of toxins and poisons that are found in many herbicides and insecticides suspected in causing cancer and other diseases. What better way to “get natural” and healthy than to drink organic wine with friends and family. Welcome home to the magical healing world of nature and those who love and respect her graceful and beloved ways. Organic wine is a product of nature’s intent allowing us to relax and enjoy the blessings of life, friends and family. Going back to the purity and simplicity of nature can be a rewarding!

La Casa de Doña Lupe winery is located on the northeastern end of Guadalupe Valley on the Ensenada-Tecate highway near Km 73.5. Follow the signs to L.A. Cetto winery and it’s about 500 yards down the road to the left as you leave Cetto’s parking lot. Open daily from 9 a.m to 5 p.m and waiting with open arms and wholesome nourishment!