We recently trundled down to Valle de Guadalupe to visit Valle Girl Vino‘s tasting room, El Corcho Rosa (the pink cork). We had met founder and CEO Sitara Monica Perez at Baja food and wine events, but had never visited her winery. What drew us in like a magnet was news of an event pairing Valle Girl wines with artisanal cheeses from Tecate. A great excuse to visit in the name of research, right?

Arriving in the Valle a bit early, we stopped at Las Nubes for a quick tasting. This was our first visit to Nubes since they reopened in June after closing due to coronavirus. We were impressed with Nubes’ safety precautions (temperature taking, hand sanitizer, face masks, table distancing). But due to diminished capacity and visitorship, instead of offering three different types of tastings, they are down to just a single tasting of four wines: a white, a rose, and two reds. We love their wines, and we adore the view. Oscar, our server, was very attentive and ensured that we wrapped things up in time to roll down the hill.

Las Nubes’ socially-distanced tasting patio.

El Cielo – one of the (if not THE) most extensive winery complexes in the Valle – is a neighbor to El Corcho Rosa. Nothing against El Cielo, but personally I do not visit the Valle to patronize such a megafacility. I call El Cielo “Temeculized.”

In stark contrast, Valle Girl’s rustic but fun tasting room stands about one mile west of El Cielo. With a warm welcome by Sitara, dirt floors, eclectic decor and a smattering of tables in a couple of tasting areas, we felt right at home. And, there were misters to help beat the heat!

We shared a communal table with some fun fellow wine and cheese lovers. Lola and Aracely of Perma Farms, a farm/sanctuary with 250 free range animals, brought their cheeses and explained each variety as they were served. And Sitara or her lovely daughter, Ava, introduced each of the wines.

Aracely and Lola of Perma Farms provided ample servings of their cheese.

Valle Girl founder and CEO Sitara Monica Perez.

Valle Girl president and sommelier Ava Carolina Perez, a true dama tatuada!

Here’s the lineup of pairings we enjoyed:

1. La Chula dry Moscato served with queso panela
2. La Traviesa Provence-style rosé with air-dried jalapeño cheese
3. La Chula Vin Gris with chilipitin-flavored cheese
4. La Traviesa South Rhone-style Grenache rosé with Monterey jack
5. La Traviesa South Rhone-style Syrah rosé (which tastes like a watermelon Jolly Rancher) with mozzarella
6. La Dama Tatuada (translation: the tattooed lady), a 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon with touches of Syrah & Grenache paired with aged queso oreado
7. La Vaquera Grenache with a touch of Cabernet and Syrah with queso Oaxaca
8. A bonus (but much appreciated!) pairing of Moscato/Grenache Blanc (not even labeled yet!) with queso fresco

Well, we really weren’t socially-distanced, but all worked out.

We were served SO much cheese, we had to take some home in a doggy bag. It was a fun (and filling) event! Next time, we hope to visit El Corcho Rosa on a Saturday afternoon, when there is live music. To quote Valle Girl’s slogan, Vaya Con Vino!

Gracias por photos by Bob Gove.