Tag Archives: guadalupe valley

So close to El Cielo, but a world apart

Posted on by
1

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.

 

What we ate & drank this summer

Posted on by
Reply

What a fantastic Baja festival season! We’ve got a lot of memorable eating and drinking to share; let’s get on with it!

Cocina La Baja – July 27

This third annual all-seafood fest was new on on our radar screen, but what a winner! Held at the lovely Estero Beach Hotel & Resort just south of Ensenada, it sold out this year. Cocina La Baja spotlights super-fresh local and sustainable seafood from folks who truly care. Well-organized and beautifully presented, more cervecerias were on hand than wineries. We loved being in the presence of Baja royalty: Chef Javier Plascencia led a cooking demo of farmed totoaba, and Chef Drew Deckman made the rounds. Tix: less than $16 U.S. for a full afternoon of gastronomical delights. Incredible! We’ll definitely be back next year.

Beautiful setting at the Estero Beach Hotel & Resort!
One of the many yummy offerings at Cocina La Baja.
Smiling chefs Drew Deckman and Javier Plascencia.

Several Baja craft breweries were represented, including Agua Mala.

Concurso de Paellas – August 18

I was fortunate to first attend the fledging but still popular Valle de Guadalupe Concurso de Paellas de Ramon Garcia Ocejo way back in 1996. It has grown, but remains a wonderful way to spend an August afternoon! With 92 paella-producing teams and 62 wineries to sample, how can you go wrong? We congratulate “paelleros” Los Chatos and Vivencias on their wins this year!

A lovely August afternoon under the oak trees of Vinas de Liceaga.
WOW: Just one of more than 90 presentations of paella at the 2019 Concurso.
Loved seeing Natalia Badan and her Mogor Badan colleague at the event . . .
. . . as well as Victor Torres, patriarch of Vinicola Torres Alegre. So special!

Sabor de Baja – August 28

Bo Bendana and Dennis Sein recognized Baja’s culinary potential back in 2013, when they launched Sabor de Baja. And, the event keeps getting better year after year, with careful pairings of many of Baja’s best restaurants, wineries and craft brewers in the beachfront gardens of the lovely Rosarito Beach Hotel! Congrats to Tecate’s Amores, matched with wine from Monte Xanic, on taking first place in this year’s competition. But we attendees were the real winners! I’ve said it before: Sabor is a true labor of love by Bo and Dennis. It shows, and is much appreciated! Check out this cool video by Rosarito’s Scot Richardson.

A highlight for me: chatting with RB Hotel’s Hugo Torres and his lovely wife at Sabor.
Dennis Sein presided over the formidable task of judging the dozens of pairings.

Como siempre, gracias to Bob Gove for the fine photos.