Fiestas de la Vendimia

Fiestas de la Vendimia: Baja Norte’s Yearly Celebration of the Grape

Located a few miles northeast of Ensenada, Valle de Guadalupe is Mexico’s premier wine producing region.

Valle de Guadalupe produces over 90% of Mexican wines, and while a majority of the local wineries may focus their attention on growing red varietals, the area also offers notable whites such as creamy Chardonnays and crisp Chenin Blancs. The region’s mild Mediterranean climate is the number one factor relating to the quality of the fruit, followed by proper field management, quantity control, site selection, and irrigation.

Red wine production still surpass that of whites, but Valle de Guadalupe has produced prize winners in both categories.

These days, several of the valley’s local wineries are producing high quality wines that seem to get better with each passing vintage. Some of the most prominent and popular vineyards are Malagon, Fuentes. Vinisterra, Tres Valles, Liceaga and Roganto, but there are many smaller operations in the area that also produce top flight wines.

Festival events are scheduled from August 2nd – 18th.

To venerate this success, the annual harvest celebration known as Fiestas de la Vendimia was formalized by the Brotherhood of Baja California Wine in 1991. This year, more than 50 boutique wineries are participating in the festival, with a slate of events scheduled from August 2nd -18th. Organized by the Provino committee and the region’s winemakers, festivities at the 23rd annual include dinners, tastings, and picnics, as well as concerts, a street party, and a bicycle race. As always, the concluding event will be the famed paella cooking contest. For detailed information about dates, times, and venues, check out our online event schedule.

Wineries participating in the festival include Adobe Guadalupe, Bodegas de Santo Tomás, Casa de Piedra, Bibayoff, Cavas Valmar, Chateau Camou, Monte Xanic, Cavas del Mogor, Viña de Liceaga, Aborigen, Viñedos Lafarge, Vinos Shimul, Sinergi VT, Tres Valles, Viñas Pijoan, Vinisterra, Vena Cava, Tintos del Norte 32, Viñas de Garza, Villa Montefiori, Viñedo Las Nubes, Vinos Pedro Domecq, Paralelo, Hacienda La Lomita, Rincón de Guadalupe, Torres Alegre, Cava Aragón 126, Emevé, Relieve, Vinart, La Trinidad, Cava Maciel, Retorno, Vinos Dubacano, Encuentro Guadalupe, Unión de Productores, Fraternidad, L.A. Cetto, Casta de Vinos, Vinsur, D´Poncelis, Finca La Carrodilla, Bodegas F. Rubio, Moebius, Viñedos Aldo César Palafox, MD Vinos, G Salinas, Fluxus, El Cielo, and Cuatrocuatros.

The high profile kick off to this year’s La Vendimia celebration took place in June.

You can read about fine wines, and you can talk about fine wines, but it’s even more fun to actually sample them. One of the very best ways to get the real flavor and complexity of the Baja wine experience is to immerse yourself in the celebratory revelry of Ensenada’s La Vendimia Festival.

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