TalkBaja.com » Baja Mexico Forums » Baja Wine Tasting

So this topic doesn't really seem to get a lot of traffic, the last posts were 3 years ago?!?!?!!!

Not sure that makes this the best place to post this info, but it is about wine tasting so here goes

Every few months or so I take a trip down to the Valle de Guadalupe to see and taste what's new.

Not necessarily new, but one of my favorites is Hacienda La Lomita. Closer to El Porvenir than San Antonio de las Minas (tho' that is the city to which it is assigned), you kind of have to go off roading to get there, but once you do, you're rewarded with great views, relaxed tasting and some pretty good wine



One of my favorite wines coming out of the Valle right now is their Pagano, made from 100% grenache grapes. It's light, fruity, balanced and very drinkable. It's counterpart is Sacro, which is a blend and a little drier and a little more complex. You can't go wrong with either wine, Pagan or Sacred



It's a modern operation





These always remind me of Darth Vader helmets for some reason

Interesting factors about La Lomita, the winemakers wife makes health and beauty aides from whatever is leftover from the wine making. The shampoo is very nice (and chemical free if that's an issue for you). The show scrub is nice too except that it kind of makes you smell like a chocolate cake. I suppose there could be worse things than that . La Lomita was also the setting for the telenovela Cuando me Enamora

http://www.haciendalalomita.com.mx/home/eng

It's worth seeking out and trying

When they start putting micro-breweries out there the posts will pick up...

I went to the Lomita vineyard about a month ago. It was a very nice experience.

I've wanted to write up some reviews of wineries since there is quite a bit of change happening now and new ones are opening up all the time. Unfortunately, I've never quite gotten around to it.

My wife and I have visited about 20 wineries and most seem to fall into one of three categories:

1) Excellent wines that are unrecognized gems waiting to be discovered.

2) Wineries that are working hard to improve their product from year to year and increase consistency.

3) Some really bad wine that shouldn't be served.

I'm not a wine snob by any means and I don't enjoy all the pretension a lot of wine lovers show. Napa isn't really my style, I'm more along the lines of a Paso Robles wine lover; small town atmosphere doing some great product but without the bling. But, by trying all these wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe, I've learned what it is I actually like. Believe it or not, having a couple of really bad wines helped me to notice the good stuff when I had it.

Whoosh, no doubt you're right about the brewery thing. But is there enough water in the Valle to sustain both

Originally Posted by bwall

My wife and I have visited about 20 wineries and most seem to fall into one of three categories:

1) Excellent wines that are unrecognized gems waiting to be discovered.

2) Wineries that are working hard to improve their product from year to year and increase consistency.

3) Some really bad wine that shouldn't be served.

I'm not a wine snob by any means and I don't enjoy all the pretension a lot of wine lovers show. Napa isn't really my style, I'm more along the lines of a Paso Robles wine lover; small town atmosphere doing some great product but without the bling. But, by trying all these wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe, I've learned what it is I actually like. Believe it or not, having a couple of really bad wines helped me to notice the good stuff when I had it.

I think your assessment is about right.

I think for every good bottle you find, there is at least one that is equally bad. I've also found that the more I taste the more it's about what I like and not about what doesn't work for my palate.

If you like the laid back approach of Paso, have you tried Amador County yet?

I have seen a big push to open more wineries south of Ensenada lately and somebody is investing some serious dough into making that happen. I have counted at least a half dozen in the works and two of them stand out to be potentially really nice operations.

Originally Posted by Dosxx53

Interesting factors about La Lomita....

La Lomita was also the setting for the telenovela Cuando me Enamora

My wife really liked that telenovela. The male lead role was played by Juan Soler who grew up just around the corner from where I lived in Argentina. We both played for the same local rugby team and he eventually was selected to play for the national team in 1989.

Originally Posted by Dosxx53

Whoosh, no doubt you're right about the brewery thing. But is there enough water in the Valle to sustain both

Probably not.

I treat wine like food, choose wisely and enjoy. I worked with a Master Sommelier, took some wine classes and have great respect for the amount of knowledge they acquire. But I never liked the often intimidating displays of table-side voodoo rigmarole when selling, describing, pairing and serving wines. If you know what you like, you know what you like. It would be a shame to go on a bad-wine tasting tour though and think it was you, not the wine.

They are also starting some growing operations in the Ojos Negros area.

As one vinter said to us during a tour/tasting........it's about your tastes. If you really ljke a 47 peso bottle of Malbec why spend 300 pesos on something else???

Dosxx: Amador County: never heard of it, thanks for the tip.

Teniente: "It is about what tastes good to you." +1

What really helped me learn this was trying wines I liked and then driving about 10 minutes and trying a wine I had to pour out. By having positive and negative experiences right after each other it brought clarity and showed me what I did and didn't like.

Amador has a wine passport weekend coming up in April......Motels are booked for several months in advance. Great time to taste a bunch of wineries....wine and food, what more could you want???