A wooden sign and an unpaved road got you here, and now you’re looking out at a desert transformed into rolling fields of fruit while a tasting room manager explains that, yes, it is possible to filter wine with green beans. You can sense it: Something special is happening here in Valle de Guadalupe.
The only problem with the road less traveled? It can be hard to figure out exactly where to go in an area where “if you know, you know” still broadly applies, despite the buzz-making chefs and nationally known wineries that put Valle on the map. That’s where we come in—we traced the area’s history from its surprising origins to its dynamic present; rounded up what’s new and exciting; and tapped the area’s top winemakers, chefs, and other experts to tell us how they like to spend their days.
Roberto Alcocer
Chef & Owner, Malva & Valle Oceanside
Chef Roberto Alcocer has long been a champion of Baja’s culinary identity, blending rustic traditions with refined techniques. As the creative force behind the Michelin-starred Valle in Oceanside, the Ensenada native has earned a reputation for unique takes on local coastal flavors.
Career-defining star aside, the Michelin recognition for his restaurant MALVA in Valle de Guadalupe might be his most meaningful accolade. Alcocer’s passion, culinary prowess, and reputation for turning heads helped transform the area from sleepy hillside farm community to full-on gustatory destination. Beyond the kitchen, Alcocer is a true aficionado of the Valle de Guadalupe lifestyle.
For tacos under the stars, he heads to Birriería de Don Leonel in San Antonio de las Minas. Breakfast spots like El Correcaminos and Meson Leonardo’s fuel the day, while trendier options like La Cocina de Doña Esthela offer a more modern touch. A casual lunch might be a torta from Lupe or a bite at Adobe Guadalupe’s food truck, while gourmet experiences unfold at spots like Damiana.
“In Valle de Guadalupe, you drink wine,” Alcocer states simply. His ideal day starts with a hearty breakfast, followed by curated wine tastings. He suggests scheduling the second tasting near a standout restaurant, ensuring a long, leisurely lunch or dinner before a final stop at a winery or a relaxing evening with local cheese, a fire, and the bottle that spoke to you most.
A guided wine tasting led by Valle’s top winemakers is essential, Alcocer says. He recommends Veronica Santiago at Viñedos Mina Penélope, Erick Plata at Vinos Plata, or Amado Garza at Viñas De Garza for an insider’s perspective on the region’s evolving wine scene.
For Alcocer, VdG is about more than just food and wine—it’s about the locals and the landscape. “Great wine, good food, good people, and great views,” he says.
Kristin Shute
Winemaker, Vinos Lechuza
Vinos Lechuza was never supposed to be a business. Winemaker Kristin Shute’s father, San Diego native Ray Magnussen, bought an overgrown wheat field in Valle de Guadalupe in 2003 and, after studying winemaking at UC Davis, planted two acres of vines purely as a retirement hobby.
A decade later, Shute’s parents invited her to take over the vineyard and turn it into a moneymaker. Under her tutelage, Vinos Lechuza has grown. Yet the company’s approach remains small-scale and thoughtful, with a mind toward sustainability and community stewardship.
Shute spends much of her time at Lechuza, in the fields, in the lab, or on the patio, where she loves “sitting on the porch and losing an afternoon with great company and a glass (or three) of wine,” she says.
Casa Magoni has three lines of wine, plus olive oil and balsamic vinegar
But she makes time to hike up to the hot springs via a lovely, relatively easy trail behind L.A. Cetto. When she ventures out to eat, her current favorite is Villa Torél, Santo Tomás winery’s beautiful, open-air restaurant. “The duck is a must-have!” she recommends. The restaurant hosts “Liernes” every Monday to celebrate the start of food and drink industry workers’ “weekend,” offering a special prix-fixe menu.
Shute’s dream day in Valle de Guadalupe begins with a sunrise. “If you can catch that magic, your soul will be forever grateful,” she says. Later, it’s time for wine at spots like Clos De Tres Cantos, where you can nibble on a cheese plate while taking in canyon views.
“If there is enough room for one more stop, sitting under the oak tree at Casa Magoni, listening to live music is enchanting,” Shute continues. Later, “get a gelato from Casa Marcelo and watch the stars. It will remind you how many we miss [with] city life.”
But don’t feel like you have to pack it all into a single day. “If you have patience to go at a slower pace, you have a chance to fully settle into the Valle vibe,” Shute says. “The community is so beautifully rich with love and talent, [and] almost every winemaker and owner is readily accessible. Take the time to make the pause.”
Hans Backoff
CEO, Monte Xanic
As CEO of Monte Xanic—one of Mexico’s pioneering wineries, which his father helped co-found in the 1980s—Hans Backhoff has spent his life immersed in Valle’s agricultural revolution. “I grew up surrounded by vineyards, learning about wine-making from my father,” he says.
“I made my first wine at 15, trained in Bordeaux, but my heart has always been here in Valle.”
And while elevating Mexican wine to global prestige is Backhoff ’s passion, he is quick to point to the region’s food scene, as well. “Valle de Guadalupe is home to some of the most incredible culinary experiences in Mexico,” he says.
Backhoff has a few favorites, like Lunario, where chef Sheyla Alvarado’s seasonal tasting menu never fails to surprise. “It’s always a perfect balance of flavors,” he adds. He also praises Deckman’s En El Mogor, where chef Drew Deckman’s commitment to the region shines through wood-grilled, locally sourced seafood.
You’ll often find renowned chef Drew Deckman cooking on the outdoor grill at his eponymous Valle restaurant.
When it comes to drinks, Backhoff has a clear favorite: “Without a doubt, a glass of Gran Ricardo from Monte Xanic. It represents years of passion, innovation, and dedication to Mexican winemaking,” he says. But he also enjoys exploring other local wines, recognizing the creativity of Valle’s winemakers.
His ideal day starts with a sunrise walk through Monte Xanic’s vineyards, followed by breakfast at Banyan Tree Veya. “In the afternoon, I’d visit some of my favorite wineries—places like Finca La Carrodilla always have something interesting to taste,” he suggests.
And as the sun sets? “A perfect ending to the day would be a firepit gathering under the stars, with good wine and great company,” he says.
For Backhoff, Valle is a place where innovation and tradition mix like varietals in a blend. “What I love most is the sense of community,” he says. “The way winemakers, chefs, and farmers work together to push Mexican wine and cuisine to new heights.”
Fer Parra
Winemaker, Pouya & Anatolia
“I’m a Baja native,” winemaker Fer Parra says. After obtaining her MS in enology and viticulture in France, she returned home to Valle de Guadalupe, where she runs two businesses:
Parra founded Pouya—which is named after her great-grandfather—in 2020, producing 800 cases of unfiltered, low-sulfite wines a year using exclusively Valle grapes. And, with four friends, she grows cinsault, mourvèdre, and tempranillo grapes on eight hectares to make wine under the label Anatolia.
Her favorite way to pass time in town is to “take in the sights while drinking a chilled rosé,” she says. So it’s only natural that, like any Valle local, her perfect day includes lots of vino. But it begins at Casa De Pan Alvéolo with chilaquiles, followed by tastings at Tres Mujeres—led by a fellow woman winemaker—and Natalia Badan’s Mogor Badan.
Bloodlust is an architecturally fun place to try local wines.
“Then, a snack at Finca Altozano—pulpo del pacifíco with a cold beer—and a stop at Baja Divina wine shop to see what’s new,” Parra says. It’s off to more wineries after that, like Duoma, where husband-and-wife team Eliecer Arroyo and Carla Figueroa Torres make minimal-intervention sips with native yeasts. Later that night, she’d stop for a drink and dancing at Bloodlust, Valle’s famous bar shaped (depending on who you ask) like either a garlic bulb or a drop of wine.
And while Parra loves Valle’s high-end eats, she’s also keen on more low-key spots. “For a very relaxed meal, [I like] a quesataco at Birrieria Sandoval,” she says. “[And don’t miss the] off-the-beaten path wineries—there are a lot of hidden, small, family-owned wineries.”
Lauren Plascencia
Wine Director, Animalón / Owner, Baja Divina
Lauren Plascencia’s name is probably familiar to you. For one, there’s the fact that her father, Tijuana-born and San Diego–trained Javier Plascencia, is a globally famous chef considered a major architect of Baja Med cuisine, which takes cues from
Mexican, Mediterranean, and Asian cooking to showcase the best of Baja’s bounty. And then there’s her own acclaim. Wine director at her dad’s Michelin-starred Animalón in Valle de Guadalupe (and owner of Baja Divina, the wine shop next door), Lauren received the Michelin Guide Mexico’s Sommelier Award in 2024.
Animalón’s inventive dishes earned the restaurant a Michelin star in 2024.
And though her favorite drink in town is actually a cocktail—“[for] a nightcap at Animalón, I love ordering a sbagliato or a Naked and Famous,” she says—her wine recommendations are, of course, legit. So it’s worth stopping by her self-professed “all-time favorite,” Vinisterra Vitivinícola, a micro-producer putting out 50,000 bottles of minimal-intervention wine annually. She also loves Vinos Paoloni from founder Paolo Paoloni, who grew up on a winery in Italy and brought those old-world techniques to Valle in 1997, planting varietals like sangiovese, Montepulciano, and nebbiolo.
Lauren often drinks and eats at beloved Valle destination Bruma Wine Resort, as well. “I love going for an impromptu lunch date to Bruma Wine Garden,” she says. “The salad with sheep’s cheese is my favorite.”
It’s not solely about the culinary scene for her, though. “Besides the wine and food, I love the open spaces and scenery. [Valle] definitely has its own essence,” Lauren says. “Just the drive down from Tijuana relaxes me—it’s like leaving all the chaos behind. It has always been my favorite place ever, and seeing my daughter Zoe run and enjoy Valle as much as me makes me so happy.”
Ana Juncal
Chef & Operations Director, Parador Mercedes
“Valle has a special place in my professional life,” says Ana Juncal, the chef and operations director at Parador Mercedes, the laid-back, family-oriented breakfast and lunch spot she co-owns with her partner Diego Hernández. The duo opened an outpost in VdG in October 2023 (there’s a location in Tijuana, too).
“It’s where we connect with local ingredients; local producers; seasonal ingredients; amazing people; and a slower, more intentional way of doing things. It’s a huge part of what inspires the food and experience we create at Parador Mercedes.”
That experience includes burritos de centolla, or spider crab, and the restaurant’s “margatinta,” a margarita topped off with red wine. And that’s only one way Juncal likes to partake in wine in Valle—you’ll also find her at local outposts like Bodegas Icaro and Vinícola Bajalupano.
When it comes to stays, she’s a fan of the 10-villa Hábimo. Overlooking vineyards and olive groves, “this place is new, but very special,” Juncal says. “It’s a space to relax and fully enjoy the essence of Valle.”
However, on Juncal’s perfect day in Valle, she’d wake up at Mira Earth Studios, a boutique hotel consisting of a handful of sexy, moody apartments built directly into a rocky hillside. She would take a short hike around the property with a morning margarita in hand, then hit the private infrared sauna in her hotel room. After breakfast, she’d spend some time taking in the spectacular views by the pool at Encuentro Guadalupe hotel, followed by “a good late lunch at a very nice restaurant,” like Diego Hernández’s own namesake eatery. Juncal would round things out with a private wine tasting. All told, it’s a great way to experience what she describes as “a unique blend of tradition and good people.”
The accommodations at Mira Earth Studios come equipped with private hot tubs.
“I consider this region to have the best conditions to be a culinary professional, but I also, as an entrepreneur, have to consider how fragile the impact of tourism is in a rural area,” she adds. “I love seeing how the landscape in Valle changes throughout the year—it’s a constant reminder that being here is a gift. For us, it feels like the right place and the right time. Tourists and entrepreneurs come and go, but we’re here, building something long-term, shaping this place as a community… or maybe it’s Valle that’s shaping us.”
