Day Trip to the Baja Wine Route

By Steve Dryden

September is a great time to visit the wine country with the decline of the intense heat bringing cooler weather and the end of the summer tour season offering less congestion and more personal service. It’s also a rare opportunity to get in on the excitement of the grape harvest, preview the hopes and realities of the season’s bounty and to enjoy Baja’s serene and relaxing wine region that resembles Napa Valley 100 years ago!
Mexico has always been known as one of the unique and captivating culinary capitals of the world and now the wines of Baja are awakening and surprising the most sophisticated wine enthusiasts in the region and internationally. This beautiful valley is filled with interesting and scenic wineries, world class wines, friendly people and an amazing assortment of fine dining opportunities.
The wine country is located about seventy miles south of San Diego and can be accessed by heading south on the Tijuana-Ensenada toll road to the last collection station before the seaport of Ensenada. About one mile south of that toll station look for the sign Tecate Highway 3 or Ruta del Vino (Wine Route) and travel east on Highway 3 for seven miles until you drop down into the Baja wine country at San Antonio de las Minas. This is the western end of the Guadalupe Valley wine region which extends fourteen miles east towards Tecate ending near Km 73.5 at L.A. Cetto Winery and Domecq.
A good way to compliment a wine country tour is with a hearty meal as you arrive in or leave from San Antonio de las Minas. Two popular restaurant options are La Hacienda and Mustafa’s. La Hacienda is located in the village of San Antonio on the only paved road in town, Calle Benito Juarez. Turn right onto Juarez and drive to the fourth stop sign, make a left turn, go about 1/4 mile, cross the riverbed, and it’s on the right. This unique culinary wonder is located under an ancient oak grove where tables are surrounded by exotic flowers, ferns and tropical plants. The menu is diverse, service is great, and they’re open daily 9 am to 6 p.m. It’s a little “Garden of Eden.”
If you’ve never been to Casa Blanca in Morocco, you can save money and time by having a superb meal at Mustafa’s Moroccan Restaurant two miles east of San Antonio de las Minas on Highway 3 at Km 93. Look for the big Corona Beer sign and the red tile roof on the left side of the road. The cuisine and their “old vine” wines are excellent!
Mustafa’s is open everyday (except Tuesdays) from 8 a.m to 7 p.m. Breakfast, lunch and dinner are available from a menu offering a large selection of Moroccan and Mexican dishes. Two excellent dinner choices are Borrego estilo Marruecos and Pollo Mustafa. Borrego estilo Marruecos is oven baked lamb, vegetables, fried mushroom sauce, almonds, local raisins and pure honey. Pollo Mustafa is delicious, breaded breast of chicken, filled with spinach and cheese, topped with fresh mushroom sauce and served with mashed potatoes. Mustafa’s house white wine compliments the pollo and the red balances the lamb. Mustafa’s vineyard has some sixty year “old” vines that produce awesome wines.
In addition to these wonderful and consistent entries, Mustafa’s offer another thirty-five delicious lunch and dinner selections to include, top quality steak, fresh seafood, and authentic Mexican combinations. Mustafa’s offers quality and quantity with nothing on the menu priced over $10. U.S. The breakfast menu will satisfy the most particular morning eaters, and it’s a great way to start a day of wine tasting and touring.
Vina de Liceaga winery is located across the street from Mustafa’s at Km 93 and just the perfect spot to begin your wine tour. Merlot Gran Reserva is their most popular wine, made with ninety percent Merlot and ten percent Cabernet Franc, aged in new French oak for about twenty-four months, and bottled aged for twelve months. The final result is a beautiful rich red color, aromas of ripe berry fruits, prunes, slight floral, mild hint of vanilla/oak, well balanced and soft tannins. This Merlot is a fine example of why the Mexican wine industry is gaining international status and is an excellent wine for $25. the winery is open weekends 11-5 and some weekdays by appointment at (646) 178-2922.
Drive back onto Highway 3 and head east towards Tecate (You’ll pass the village of Francisco Zarco along the way) for about twelve miles to Km 73.5 where you’ll see a large sign on the right L.A. Cetto Winery. Turn right and follow the dirt road for three miles to the entrance of Mexico’s largest winery. Open daily 10-5 with friendly, very knowledgeable staff on hand to make for the most enjoyable experience and featuring quality wines at affordable prices. This Italian family provides regional and global markets with affordable quality wines. In fact, their winemaker, Camillo Magoni, was recently selected as “the top winemaker in the world” by the Dutch magazine, Vinbladet.
Seventy-eight years of hard work and dedication by the Cetto family and Camillo Magoni (forty years) has resulted in over a hundred awards for quality and excellence in both regional and international markets. L.A. Cetto makes an outstanding Petite Sirah which has received eight gold medals and many other awards throughout the world. Their Cabernet Sauvignon has won nearly twenty international awards. Cabernet Sauvignon Private Reserve gained thirteen awards, and Zinfandel six awards. They also produce an award-winning classic Bordeaux style red wine, Terra, blended with 50% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 10% Malbec and 10% Petite Verdot. This wine is from their Don Luis Cetto line of premium wines made from very select grapes grown with the highest possible standards and daily management.
L.A. Cetto is the largest producer of Nebbiolo wines in the world outside of Italy. The red Nebbiolo grape is often found in Piedmont, Italy, and is known to produce some of the finest Italian wines such as Barolo and Barbaresco. L.A. Cetto Nebbiolo has won twenty-one international medals including a recent gold medal from the Winemakers Association of France and their trophy for “the best red wine of the year.” This private reserve wine is aged in french oak for 14 months and bottle aged two years, with an alcohol content of 13-14%. It has an intense ruby red color with flashes of garnet, concentrated red and black fruits with undertones of prune, vanilla, spices and wood, mature tannins, velvety, dry and well rounded. This wonderful Mexican wine with Italian design is a “Baja Best Value Wine” for $11. Try their other great white and red wines!
Your wine country day won’t be complete without a visit to Dona Lupe Winery down the road from L.A. Cetto. As you leave Cetto’s parking lot turn to the left on the dirt road and drive about 500 yards to the first driveway on the right. You’ll see the Dona Lupe sign. This is no ordinary winery as you’ll discover the moment you walk into the tasting room and gift shop. The scent of herbs, freshly baked cookies and natural aromas overcome your spirit as you melt into the natural ambience of real people and unique wines. When was the last time you experienced something real as in natural and were greeted by sincere and friendly people with wonderful organic wines?
Dona Lupe greets all of her guests with open heart and open arms. She puts loving and creative energy into all her natural and organic jams, jellies, salsas, cookies, pies, and wines. She planted the vineyard herself over thirty years ago and has practiced organic and natural farming for several years. Her end of the valley still has some of the purest water in the region and combined with rich riverbed soil her vineyard produces high quality organic grapes. Their patio is a relaxing and scenic spot to enjoy the afternoon!
Daniel Yi, the son of Dona Lupe, creates some unique and interesting wines. He lets the grapes hang longer than most others vintners in the region and benefits from the extra natural sugars in the grape. His wines are pure, organic and fantastic! Try his Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Grenache and other blends. Don’t miss this beautiful boutique winery and their famous Port wine! They are open daily from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.
Now enjoy a safe drive back out of the wine country to the west along Highway 3 until it meets the toll road and takes you back to the north. Remember there’s almost twenty more wineries hidden in the valley, holding treasures and waiting for discovery!