The Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley) is an area of

Ensenada Municipality The municipality ( es, link=no, municipio) of Ensenada is the fourth-largest municipality in Mexico with a land area of in 2020, about the same size as Hidalgo state and larger than five Mexican states. Located offshore, Cedros Island and G ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

that is an increasingly popular tourist destination for wine and

Baja Med cuisine Baja Med is a term conceived by Chef Miguel Ángel Guerrero that refers to fusion cuisine of Mexican cuisine, such as chicharrón and cotija cheese, with those of Mediterranean, such as olive oil, and Asian cuisine, such as lemongrass. Baja Med di ...

. It is located north of the City of Ensenada and southeast of the border crossing from San Diego to Tijuana. It includes communities such as Ejido El Porvenir, Francisco Zarco, San Antonio de las Minas and Colonia Articulo 115, and combined had 5,859 inhabitants according to the 2010 census.

History

The community was founded in 1834 by Dominican missionary

Félix Caballero Félix Caballero was a Dominican priest. He played an important part in the history of the missions of Baja California, and also the opening up of the route to Tucson, Arizona. Caballero arrived at Veracruz on December 19, 1812 and traveled to Ba ...

as Misión de Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe del Norte, making it the last mission established in the Californias. Caballero had to abandon the mission in 1840, under attacks from the indigenous peoples. From 1905 to 1910, a mixture of

Spiritual Christian Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non- Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that eme ...

faiths, mostly ''Pryguny'' with some ''Molokane'' from

Transcaucasia The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Arme ...

, South Russia, settled in 4 farming colonies near Ensenada, Baja California Norte Territory, Mexico. Guadalupe was the main colony of about 20+ square miles purchased in 1905. Most owned or rented land communally. Not all were ethnic Russians, and were of various folk-Protestant (non-Orthodox) faiths. A few Russian Orthodox immigrants, had no priest or church, lived in Ensenada and were confused with the

Spiritual Christians Spiritual Christianity (russian: духовное христианство) is the group of belief systems held by so-called ''folk Protestants'' (), including non-Eastern Orthodox indigenous faith tribes and new religious movements that emerge ...

from Russia. To make land and loan payments, paid in wheat, the settlers rented as much as 50 square miles from about 10 nearby ranches, north to the border. Most moved to California by World War II to join more prosperous relatives and work in the factories. Some intermarried with Spiritual Christian '' Dukh-i-zhizniki'' in California. Most of who remained, intermarried, assimilated and live in Ensenada and Tijuana. When the valley economy shifted to wine-making, the Baja government funded a museum, to preserve the history of the former settlers from Old Russia and enhance wine tourism. Soon two private museums opened, one with a cafe across the street from the state museum, to provide Russian-Mexican dishes for tourists and groups. Roads are improved with asphalt paving to accommodate wine-tour buses.

Wineries

The Valle de Guadalupe's elevation and microclimate make it ideally suited for winemaking. As of 2018, there were over 100 wineries along the Valle's Ruta del Vino (Wine Route). Collectively, they account for 70% of all Mexico's wines. Since the 1990s the Association of Winemakers of Baja California holds the Fiestas de la Vendimia (Wine Harvest Festival) in the Valle of Guadalupe and the town of Ensenada every year in August. The celebration includes

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

sessions,

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variet ...

s and

soirée A party is a gathering of people who have been invited by a host for the purposes of socializing, conversation, recreation, or as part of a festival or other commemoration or celebration of a special occasion. A party will often feature ...

s, and samplings of regional cuisine and Mexican wines. Since 2017, the region has also held an Annual Valle Food and Wine Festival in October. Wine tasting is available year-round, and several of the wineries have built up-market restaurant/tasting establishments aimed specifically at tourists from the United States. A winery tour is usually included on cruise ships that stop at Ensenada. There are over 100 wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe, including: * L.A. Cetto * Monte Xanic * Adobe Guadalupe * Las Nubes * Barón Balché * Bodega Santo Thomás * El Cielo * Alximia Vinícola * Trevista * Vena Cava

Culinary scene

Many wineries in the Valle de Guadalupe have "campestre" restaurants on site that serve farm-to-table cuisine. Diego Hernández heads up Corazón de Tierra, rated by William Reed Business Media (the "San Pellegrino survey") as one of Latin America's 50 best restaurants, while chef

Javier Plascencia Javier Plascencia is a chef from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico, considered the most famous chef of the city and of all chefs, the one whose cuisine most helped define a new cuisine, Baja Med. Plascencia and Baja Med cuisine In 2011, Plascenci ...

is present with his Finca de Altozano, and

Drew Deckman Drew M. Deckman is an American/Mexican chef and restaurateur. He worked at restaurants in Europe and was recognised by the Michelin Guide for his work at the Restaurant Vitus in Reinstorf. He then set up restaurants in Baja California Baja ...

with Deckman's en el Mogor. The area is a center of

. ''La Cocina de Doña Esthela'' is proclaimed, by FoodieHub, to have "the world's best breakfast". * *

Hotels

Hotels include chef

's Finca la Divina, Bruma, a 200-acre eco-resort including a working winery, 2 villas, and a 8-room hotel, and Encuentro Guadalupe (originally from Grupo Habita, now under other management), whose 20 eco-friendly rooms blend in with the landscape.

References

External links

History of the Valley of Guadalupe and other wine-producing villages

Pryguny in Baja California, Mexico
by Andrei Conovaloff, Updated: 30 July 2016. {{Authority control Cities in Ensenada Municipality Populated places established in 1834 1834 establishments in Mexico