Wine Tasting in Valle de la Grulla & Santo Tomás (La Antigua Ruta del Vino), Baja California

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While the popularity of Baja wine has just taken hold with the rest of the world in the past decade, wine has been made commercially in Baja California for over 125 years. The Valle de Guadalupe has been coined Baja’s “Ruta del Vino” and even those who have not yet visited, have heard of the region’s campestre restaurants and boutique wineries. But there are five grape-growing valleys in this region, and while Valle de Guadalupe is the most well known and developed, a majority of the grapes used to make Valle de Guadalupe wines come from other valleys where there’s more water and more land. Baja’s original wine route, the “Antigua Ruta del Vino” is a separate wine region where Baja California wine making started. Located south of Ensenada, this historical route consists of the Valle de Santo Tomás, Valle de la Grulla, and Valle de San Vicente. This lesser-known, more intimate wine region is one of Baja’s best-kept secrets. You won’t find the crowds or the spectacle of the Valle de Guadalupe here—what you’ll get is quality wines, beautiful wineries, personal attention, and true Mexican hospitality. It’s quality over quantity in this region with a handful of wineries and limited options for food. The Dominican Spanish missionaries brought the first grapes (now called the “mission” grape) to the Valle de Santo Tomás in 1791. At the time, the king of Spain prohibited winemaking in Mexico with the exception of making wine for church purposes. It wasn’t until Mexico gained its independence in 1821 that winemaking was permitted for non-church use and production of wine began to increase. In 1888, the lands of the former Santo Tomás Mission were sold to a private group that established Bodegas de Santo Tomás, the first winery in Baja California and the second-oldest winery in Mexico (Santo Tomás is the oldest Mexican winery to be in continuous operation). Bodegas de Santo Tomás (in the Valle de Santo Tomás) anchors the Antigua Ruta del Vino and is supported by a handful of boutique and family-run wineries in Valle de la Grulla that now constitute the region. A trip to the Historic Wine Route is guaranteed to be an enchanting day of wine tasting, and a small lesson in Baja California history as well. South of Ensenada, the turn off for Valle de la Grulla from Mexico 1 is at Km. 42. Valle de la Grulla consists of the small Ejido Uruapan as well as a few wineries and is easy to navigate. The wineries will have signs up along the road, directing you to the properties. Simply follow the signs. Bodegas de Santo Tomas is located just seven kilometers south of the entrance to the Valle de la Grulla. The entrance to the winery is located right off of highway Mexico 1 at Km. 49.

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