A band of Russian exiles walks into the Mexican desert.
There’s no punchline—the Molokans were a group of Russian-Orthodox families who refused to go to war and instead chose to settle alongside the Indigenous Kumeyaay and missionaries in what is now Valle de Guadalupe in the early 1900s. They subsisted on homegrown potatoes, carrots, and greens in the valley, capitalizing on the stable Mediterranean climate’s consistently warm days, cool nights, and rainy winters.
All those factors also happened to give the area a perfect climate for grape-farming—and the region’s isolation allowed for a largely ungoverned approach to growth, both in wine and culture.
At the turn of the 20th century, only a few brave monks and farmers who had been dodging Spanish colonialist laws explicitly suppressing viticulture grew wine. It wasn’t until the 1920s, when Baja’s first winery, Bodegas Santo Tomás, opened, that everything began to change.
Enter General Abelardo L. Rodríguez, a smoky-eyed revolutionary used to getting his way. After a stint as president of Mexico, he bought Santo Tomás winery and decided to expand. He stumbled upon the abundant crops cultivated by the Molokans, told the Russians to uproot their veggies and plant grapes, and promised he’d buy the whole lot.
As Santo Tomás’ bounty exploded, other winemakers, including L.A. Cetto, Domecq, and Monte Xanic, saw the valley’s dinero-making potential and started their own vineyards. Soon, new European and Mexican residents, like the Mogor Badan family, experimented with planting European varietals without adhering to the oppressive rules generally applied to European wine-growing.
Fast-forward to the 1980s, when your grandparents were still drinking boxed wine and land was still affordable in Napa. People were certainly producing wine in Valle, but no one was fully invested in the art of winemaking—until Hugo d’Acosta was hired as head winemaker and general manager of Santo Tomás. “He was the starter of it all, the father of modern Mexican winemaking,” says the winery’s PR manager, Keiko Nishikawa Chavez. Not only did d’Acosta level up Santo Tomás’ wine and later make his own label Casa De Piedra one of the most renowned wineries in Mexico, but he also gave the entire region a boost.
His first major step was opening the winemaking school La Escuelita. There, he trained up-and-coming winemakers from around the world, including Eileen and Phil Gregory, owners of 20-year-old winery Vena Cava, and Fernando Pérez Castro of organic winery Finca La Carrodilla.
“You can’t have a notable wine-growing region without several wineries making good wines,” Eileen Gregory says. “D’Acosta taught people to make good wine.”
D’Acosta also collaborated with chef Benito Molina to open Manzanilla, Valle’s first bougie restaurant. On his heels came chef Jair Téllez, whose restaurant Laja was, as Nishikawa Chavez says, “the tipping point for high cuisine in Valle de Guadalupe. Before, we just had highway restaurants with big breakfasts and lunches for truckers.”
Animalón
Armed with a little funding and a lot of passion, great chefs from Mexico and beyond flocked to the region. Diego Hernández opened Corazón De Tierra. Javier Placencia’s Animalón, Roberto Alcocer’s Malva, and David Castro Hussong’s Fauna spearheaded a new local cuisine that celebrated the coastal border community’s abundance, DIY vibe, and really good wine. By 2024, three Valle restaurants earned Michelin stars: Animalón, Conchasdepiedra, and Damiana.
According to Eileen Gregory, the wine industry and gastronomy of Baja are so exceptional because there are no draconian mandates dictating what varietals you can plant and where and how you blend or bottle. “Here, it’s the Wild West; you do what you want,” she says. “It is a proverbial cornucopia of fabulous raw materials and no rules, which attracts pioneers who are interested in building on the shoulders of giants.”
This anything-goes environment inspired other experiments, too. The Gregorys opened one of the first bed and breakfasts in the valley, La Villa De Valle. They went on to tinker with sustainable winemaking at Vena Cava, joining Finca La Carrodilla and Rancho El Mogor as local pioneers of regenerative wines.
Architects Alejandro d’Acosta and his partner Claudia Turrent toyed with salvaged materials in designing Vena Cava’s winery from old boats. Their scrappy style is also visible at Lulú Martinez Ojeda’s Bruma (and the wildly popular Fauna restaurant onsite) and Paralelo Winery. The innovative approach inspired Tijuana architect Jorge Gracia, who employed repurposed steel and concrete in his work on the sleek, posh, and sustainable Encuentro Guadalupe resort, further developing an iconic Valle style.
All the lawlessness does not come without challenges. Today, Valle struggles with a severe clash of wills. Overtourism, all-night ragers, and investors with deep pockets uninterested in supporting the agriculture that created Valle’s slow vibe are just a few factors. Climate change is dramatically impacting the region, with drought and water woes threatening viticulture. But maybe the most challenging aspect is the limited legislative support for the farmers who make this food and wine region tick.
Despite challenges, the magic of Valle remains. You can still sidle into a small, family-owned winery and have the winemaker pour you an unusual Bordeaux blend or a pet nat. Winemakers still whisper stories about the vineyards’ origins and where to get the best pizza in the valley (that’s Bruma Wine Garden). So don’t be surprised if you find yourself braving unpaved roads to barrel taste a new blend no one’s ever made before, then enjoying fresh seafood served in an Indigenous-inspired acorn mole under string lights, with the stars illuminating all the possibilities of the region’s still-young roots.
What’s New in Valle de Guadalupe
Sassi del Valle
Currently under construction, the stone buildings of this small tourist “town”—complete with hotels, drinking and dining spots, and retail spaces—are modeled after the Italian city of Matera, which shares the Valle’s Mediterranean climate and olive orchards.
Komat Restaurante
Komat launched on property at the stylish Encuentro Guadalupe hotel in September 2024, serving aguachile, oysters Rockefeller, tomahawk steaks, berry flan, and more with a side of mountain views.
Dream Valle de Guadalupe
This incoming 35-acre Hyatt property will provide a rooftop bar, a pool (surprisingly hard-ish to find in VdG), and a fitness center to guests staying in its 58 rooms and villas. Bonus: It’ll be pet-friendly.
Surya Hotel
This 18-room hotel on a former apple orchard (launched in 2023) grows wine grapes, olives, figs, lemons, oranges, and more. Executive chef Paulina Gonzalez Miranda—who lives onsite— employs ’em at the all-day onsite eatery, Lupe 87.
La Cevichería
A small, Ensenada-based chain beloved for its oysters, seafood tacos (including tuna al pastor and marlin machaca), and, of course, its namesake dish, La Cevichería unveiled its Valle location in 2023.
Pepe el Toro Steakhouse
This moody, red-lit temple for red meat and stiff cocktails (sometimes both in one—the bar staff likes to use dried beef as a garnish) opened in Bruma Wine Resort’s adjacent Mercado Bruma early this year.
Restaurante Casa del Camino
Encircled by small, quiet stays, this new, no-frills breakfast and lunch joint is a friendly place to reset after a few days of seemingly endless tasting menus. Try the delicious red chilaquiles, which arrive in a generous but not insurmountable portion.
Mya Hotel Boutique
Unveiled in 2023, Mya’s 14 guestrooms abut an olive tree–lined pool. Onsite, you’ll also find a spa; courts to play padel, an increasingly popular Mexican racquet sport; and an organic garden, which supplies the hotel’s Olivea Farm to Table restaurant.
Banyan Tree Veya Valle de Guadalupe
It’s not only grapes and Michelin-approved gluttony in Valle nowadays. Banyan Tree Veya is set amongst 16 acres of vineyards, the property is the group’s first brand dedicated to wellbeing. With 30 villas, each featuring a private plunge pool, fireplace, and outdoor terrace; wellness amenities such as a full-service spa; and seven distinct restaurants and culinary experiences, along with its own winery focused solely on the grenache grape.
