Mystic Region

This unsung wine region in Baja California has it all, from cutting-edge wines to glamorous hotels.

A little more than 80 miles south of the USA/Mexico border, just above Ensenada, lay a series of lush, green vineyards that are producing some of the world’s most exciting New World wines. The main highway is quiet and dusty, and the valley’s landscape is dotted by rock-strewn hillsides and grazing cows. This is the Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s version of Napa Valley.

Turn onto any side road and you’ll start to unearth the many gems of Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico’s original burgeoning wine region. There are restaurants with international acclaim, stylish boutique hotels and sprawling wineries – most with panoramic views – where you’re as likely to mingle with locals as with the winemakers themselves.

For wine lovers in the know, Mexico is buzzing. Two decades ago, you could count Valle de Guadalupe’s wineries on your fingers. By 2012, there were about 50 of them. Now, Baja’s “Ruta del Vino” boasts more than 100 wineries. The goal of Baja United Group is to bring you the very best wines of this region.

Despite this exponential growth, Valle de Guadalupe still has a charming rustic feel that’s reminiscent of a pre-commercial, pre-tourism Napa.