Wine Tasting

The main activities in Valle revolve around eating and drinking at some of the best wineries and restaurants in Mexico! Below are a list of some great wineries to check out along the Ruta del Vino.

Bruma: Probably one of the fanciest wine tasting experiences in Valle. They also have a beautiful hotel, wine garden and an amazing restaurant! We booked a later tasting here (6PM) to then pop over for dinner after!

Vena Cava: Known more for their natural wines, but you can also opt for a tasting with their non-natural wines if that's your thing! You have probably seen photos of this winery online as it is built from 7 repurposed boats (it's pretty cool), but besides the design, the staff was so friendly, helpful and knowledgeable. It definitely felt more laid back here than in Bruma.

Bloodlust Wine Bar: Although not technically a vineyard, Bloodlust was a cool / hipster-y bar (w/ live music) that we stopped at before dinner to grab a drink and it did not disappoint! The wines were great and similar to Vena Cava, you've probably seen this place all over social media due to its garlic-shaped design! I suggest grabbing a drink or some munchies here - it was very cool!

Frannes, Decantos, Monte Xanic and Cuatro Cuatros: Unfortunately we were not able to make it to any of these spots since we weren't in Valle long enough, but are all on my hit list and I've heard great things about for my next visit!

Breakfast

La Cocina de Dona Esthela: If you have been researching a trip to Valle, you have probably come across this recommendation. Simply put, you MUST go! I was worried it would not live up to the hype, and boy was I wrong! I got their signature Machaca breakfast (shredded beef) and my husband and I split the Elote Hotcakes - it was delicious! Just a heads up, get here early (we arrived 30 minutes after opening and didn't wait long), but sometimes you can wait up to hours!

Contemplacion Hotel (Salvia Blanca): We had breakfast included one morning at our hotel and it was delish! We noticed at breakfast there were a bunch of people who came that were not guests, which was a good sign! We ordered traditional eggs, beans and bacon, which were fabulous, but I will never forget the Concha we ordered that came with dulce de leche - WOW!

Lunch/Dinner

Deckman's: We heard about this place from a lot of people, so we knew we had to check it out. This restaurant has a gorgeous setting and provides a farm-to-table atmosphere! While we were not here for sunset, I imagine it would be beautiful. Not only was the scenery beautiful, but the food was fantastic. We ordered their veggie platter and mussels and were so full!

Oja Valle: This place looked really special, so we opted to do dinner here (instead of lunch) and it really was a whole experience! The entrance to the restaurant is beautiful (well, really the whole place) and they have live rescued zebras on the property. While I would have been thrilled here, even without a bite of food, my goodness was dinner amazing! We ordered the burrata salad, ceviche, bone marrow, softshell crab tacos and ribeye tacos - it was fantastic.

Finca Altozano: This was my favorite meal of the entire weekend - you must visit! This place was on my list because I've eaten at the chef's (Javier Plasencia) other restaurants in Baja and they are amazing, but this one was next level. If you go to Valle, please make a reservation immediately!

Fauna: This was another place we heard a lot about and was located within Bruma, so after we had our tasting, we headed over for dinner! One thing that threw a lot of people off about this restaurant is that it's community-style dining, which personally didn't bother me. But some folks asked to be moved to another room, so just putting it out there now. There was an omakase option, but we chose to order a la carte instead since we weren't starving! My favorite dish from here was their sopes - I almost ordered it twice!