Food Wine Culture Tours
216 Lindbergh Avenue
Frederick, MD 21701 USA
Toll free (866) 874-4219
Phone: (301) 663-9160
March 24-April 14,
2007
Land only price from $1680 per person, double occupancy, based on 14 people
Welcome to Baja California Mexico. When you think of fine wine, who thinks of Mexico. For starters, the American wine industry who say that the Valle de Guadalupe, is equal to the greatest wine growing regions of Europe and California. Baja California is a land of quiet beauty – an enchanted place, where the stark desert coast of the Baja Peninsula meets the tranquil blue waters of the sea of Cortez. Ensenada and vicinity is the unofficial capital of Mexico’s finest winemaking region. Today there are some 18 wineries in the Baja Peninsula, where cool ocean air keeps temperatures moderate. The Med like climate, combined with sloping hillsides, diverse soils and seasonal variation, create an environment that’s extraordinarily well suited to growing wine grapes.
ITINERARY
Day 1-- Arrival in Baja California, Loreto
Arrive Loreto airport and transfer to the hotel, Posada de las Flores. In Loreto, “ not even the sun is in a hurry”. With year round temperatures in the 80's, the pace is relaxed, and the surroundings dramatically beautiful. Loreto, a sleepy fishing village, is one of Baja’s most historic cities. You’ll experience its old world charm on a walking tour along narrow streets lined with cobblestones. You can also stroll through the plaza to see the original mission built in 1697. The intense blues of the Sea of Cortez contrast with the greens of the palm groves. The desert, with cactus and sand muted tones contrasts with the dramatic amphitheater formed by the brilliant colors of the imposing steep rocks of the Sierra de la Giganta. Sport fishing, and mountain bike tours available for the healthy and athletic. You can have a marvelous dinner on the terrace of “de las Flores”.
Day 2 Loreto, San Ignacio
Early departure north along the Sea of Cortez to the seaside oasis of Mulege, a town of green vistas. Visit to the Santa Rosalita Mission, an austere Jesuit structure built in 1705. This place is one of the prettiest towns in the Baja peninsular, edged by huge palm trees, orchards and fences where bougainvilleas of all colors tangle. A few kilometers from Mulege, we will visit Bahía de Concepción, a place with awesome landscapes and a multitude of beaches with soft, white sand. After spending some time enjoying the views, we will visit Santa Rosalia, a unique town built by the French in the 19th century. Over 600 km of mine tunnels, a pier, and a 30-km mine railway were built and a large copper smelting foundry was imported by ship from Europe. The French created a town unlike any other in Baja – you will marvel at Santa Rosalia’s famous metal church. Lunch and a stroll around this town, which is a monument to 19th century French intervention in Mexico. The beautiful French style buildings have been re-molded, the streets are paved and the town boasts gardens and parks.
Our destination after lunch, San Ignacio is situated on a fertile ravine 39 miles NW of Santa Rosalia, for many the most beautiful town in the Baja peninsular. The access road, about two kilometers from the highway, provides an entrance into a fantasy landscape, a magnificent contrast to the mysterious sierras and the drought of the desert. The town has a small central plaza decorated by leafy Indian trees. The majestic church of San Ignacio de Loyola rises at the front of the plaza and narrow little streets with antique houses converge here. Due to its solid walls, the building has barely changed over the years and is one of the most beautiful missions in the Baja peninsula. Our home for the next 2 nights - San Ignacio Springs Hotel, is like a memory from the ancient “Silk Route”, surrounded by a little piece of Paradise – “The lagoon”, with its surrounding orchards of dates and palms (reportedly the first imported to Baja) and the scenic walk to town make San Ignacio an ideal refuge for the soul. The untouched beauty of this oasis and its surrounding areas provides us with 2 days of unique experiences and encounters. (Breakfast and dinner)
Day 3 -- San Ignacio and Laguna San Ignacio
The Marcers (Terry and Gary) are the perfect hosts. Terry’s cooking alone is sufficient reason to want to stay in San Ignacio but there is another reason - Laguna San Ignacio; a protected bay a little more than half way down the long peninsula's Pacific Coast. It is a known nursing area for the California Gray Whale. Here every year the whales come to mate and birth their calves. The lagoon has provided a safe environment for the adult whales to engage in courtship and breeding and this behavior can be observed at close hand at the lagoon. It lies within one of the largest ecological preserves in Latin America and was designated a BiosphereReserve/World Heritage Site. It is the only place on earth where you can get closse enough to touch these fantastic creatures in their natural environment. Picnic lunch by the side of the Lagoon. (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Day 4 -- San Ignacio, Cataviña
Continuing our journey north, our destination today is Catavina. Our path leads us through some of the strangest and wildest country on Earth, the Central Baja Dessert. Close to Catavina we will hike to an ancient Indian cave - cave paintings of geometric shapes and human-like forms, the last accounts of the Cochimi, a people who settled this desert. The paintings date back to the beginnings of man in the Americas. Overnight at the La Pinta hotel and a night sky with more stars than you’ve ever seen. (Breakfast and dinner)
Day 5 -- Cataviña, Ensenada and the Vally of Guadalupe
After breakfast, we are off on the last leg of our Baja journey. We have a lunch date at San Quintin, which is back on the Pacific coast and well known for its Clams, Lobster and Scallops. El Rosario; the southernmost mission town of the Dominicans, is an attractive farm-supply town; nestled between two steep ravine-cliffs. We climb as high as 3000 ft between Cataviña and El Rosario, traveling along a ridgeline of rolling dessert hills. The landscape here is one full of Boojums - spindly trees and Elephant trees, with the look of elsewhere, and wiry Ocotillo. The Cardons are next: tallest cactus in the world sprouting from everywhere in Baja's Central Desert. The land is scoured by giant boulders; mountains of them, hundreds of feet high and the boojums who are wily, going about each and every way - lawless plants that they are. On the road from San Quintin to Ensenada, travel is through mountain valleys. Vineyards are visible on both sides of the road and we will pass through several small farming communities. Ensenada is the third largest city in Baja California. The town and the port are at the end of a large bay. Todos Santos Island is in the middle of the bay, with Punta Banda (Band Point) off in the distance. Today we are going to postpone visiting the city, for we are going straight to the Valle de Guadalupe and the heart of the wine country.
A gourmet dinner at Adobe Guadalupe, after a stroll through 65 acres of vineyards accompanied by the Adobe’s owners - the Miller's. After an introduction by the Millers to the wine country, there will be a tasting of the house wines. (Breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
Day 6 --The Vally of Guadalupe, Chateau Camou and Monte Xanic
The climate and soil of the Guadalupe valley have been compared to those of Napa and France's Rhone Valley. The climate is Mediterranean, with rainy winters, followed by dry springs and summers. Thanks to a variety of additional microclimates, a wide range of grape varieties are grown, including chardonnay, chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, barbera, cabernet, syrah, tempranillo, merlot and cabernet franc. Close to Adobe Guadalupe are 2 of the areas finest wineries - Monte Xanic and Chateau Camou. Chateau Camou was founded 1995 and as early as 1998 was winning prizes at European wine competitions. Our guide Victor Manuel Torres Alegre, obtained his doctorate degree at the Institute of Enology at the University of Bordeaux, France and has 15 years of quality winemaking experience. “Flor de Guadalupe is a harmonious blend of cabernet franc & merlot, made according to the bordelaise tradition of Saint Emilion” resulting in a magnificent wine. Ruby-red in color, floral and ripe red fruit aromas with touches of cassis, coffee, leather and spices. Viñas de Camou is a classique Bordeaux style Sauvignon Blanc. Yellow green in color, great transparency and brightness, tropical fruit (passion fruit, guava, apple, peach, melon). Citrus and toasted oak aromas provide a character with great balance, unctuous body and a nice fresh evolution followed by a long aftertaste. Chateau Camou, a full-bodied wine, deep red in color with purple blue tones. Ripe red fruit, coffee, mint & chocolate aromas. Good length and a tannic silky finish”.
After visiting Chateau Camou, we will take a short drive to visit the neighbors - Monte Xanic. The sunny summers and sandy soils make for robust, highly aromatic wines that are intense on the palate and rich in flavor and at the same time smooth and elegant. The1998 Monte Xanic Chardonnay received a bronze medal at the 2000 Challenge International du Vin in Blaye-Bourg, France and the 1996 Monte Xanic Cabernet Sauvignon received a Gold Medal and the Civart Prix d'Excellence at the 1998 Challenge. The 1996 Monte Xanic Cabernet Sauvignon received a Gold Medal at the Civart Prix d'Excellence in the 1998 Challenge International du Vin in Blaye-Bourg, France. Monte Xanic has formed associations with Caliterra: a partnership with the Mondavi family, of Robert Mondavi Winery, California and Eduardo Chadwick of Viña Errázuriz, Chile. Also with the Chalone Wine Group, who distribute their wines in the US.
We will take a detour on our way back to Adobe Guadalupe to visit the local museums, one of which includes a fascinating exhibit of the early Russian Molokanes émigré population, that began “the modern” era of wine production in Baja. Your evening will be free to choose – a dinner and relax at Adobe Guadalupe or if you prefer we can advise you on some of the excellent eating choices along the Valley. Overnight at Adobe Guadalupe. (Breakfast and lunch)
Day 7 -- The Valley of Guadalupe and Ensenada
Breakfast at the hotel and we are off to Ensenada by way of a visit to Casa Piedra. This discreet vineyard is considered by some as Mexico's most innovative and groundbreaking winery. Its red Vino de Piedra and white Piedra de Sol are considered among the best wines in Mexico. The buildings have an intimate farmhouse ambiance, but are well equipped with small capacity stainless steel tanks complete with computerized processing control, a semi-gravitational system and underground caves. At Casa de Piedra, they endeavor to make "Signature Wines" using the grapes from the area and its diverse microclimates.
The Bodegas Santo Tomas and its wines is located in the center of Ensenada. The wines originate from what was once the Mission de Santo Tomas (Saint Thomas Mission) founded by Jesuit priests in 1791, the mission grapes brought over and planted by the Jesuits found a perfect home. In 1857, after Mexico's War of Reform, the Catholic Church was stripped of its holdings and all church property became part of the state. In 1888 the government sold the former lands of the Santo Tomas Mission to a private group, which established, the first large-scale winery in Mexico.
After the Santo Tomas visit – a free day in Ensenada, there is much to see – the RIVIERA DEL PACIFICO built in 1930 as a hotel and gambling casino. It was a favorite of 1930’s Hollywood celebrities. Museums – History Museum, focuses on Baja’s Indigenous peoples, the old Customs House museum, the City Gallery, Gallerias Perez Mellon and, if requested, we can arrange an appointment to see the Mati Ransenburg Gallery. A visit to “Hussongs” the oldest surviving cantina in the California’s, could be worth a visit. We can provide some options for Restaurants or leave you to discover your own. Overnight in Ensenada. (Breakfast)
Day 8.
Breakfast at the hotel and transfer out, either to Tijuana or San Diego international Airport.