A Taste Of Mexico's Wine Country

(Forbes) - Just a two-hour drive south of San Diego across the Mexican border lies a peaceful Baja California valley brimming with ripened grapes, delicious wines and gourmet cuisine concocted from the freshest of fresh local ingredients. Our Forbes Travel Guide editors recently ventured into Mexico’s lovely—and somewhat little known—Valle de Guadalupe (Guadalupe Valley), a wine country destination screaming for a late summer getaway of the great outdoors, delicious food and plenty of vino.

Where To Play The Fiestas de la Vendimia, a celebration of the annual harvest, runs from Aug. 2 through 18 this year, which is why we recommend a late summer visit to the Valle de Guadalupe. Many of the valley’s wineries participate in the festivities by hosting special events: This year, there’s a wine pairing dinner at oft raved about restaurant Laja with special guest and prominent Mexican chef Daniel Ovadia on Aug. 7; a street party at the Plaza de las Artes in Ensenada on Aug. 8; and a wine pairing dinner at Viñas de Garza on Aug. 15—to name just a few of the happenings.

But no matter what time of year you visit the Guadalupe Valley, there’s plenty of reason to venture down the dirt roads that lead to the area’s wineries, and there are tons of varietals to sip. Founded in 1987, Monte Xanic offers cabernet sauvignon, merlot, malbec, petit verdot, sauvignon blanc, sémillon and more; and you can try tempranillo, zinfandel and grenache, among others, at Baron Balch’e.