Sometimes you just can’t
replace an old friend… like Kendall-Jackson. It was the first white wine I
tasted and over the years it’s been at nearly every major celebration in my
life. I love the buttery taste and always compare it to every other Chardonnay. It’s my gold standard.
Soon I will be tasting
the wines from the Valle de Guadalupe. Since routine
for me is toxic, trying new things will be good. In fact, I have vowed to try
50 new things before my next birthday and all of them may be wine.
That’s
OK though. I’ll be more than educated on the wines of the region before I go
there.
Valle de Guadalupe is
Mexico’s wine region just north of Ensenada. Friends that have been there tell
me that it is a lot like Napa was years ago.
If you watched One
Plate at a Time last season you would have fallen in love with Valle
de Guadalupe as it was featured in several Season 8 episodes.
It’s high on my
list of places to go in 2014 and when I go I will stay at Adobe
Guadalupe, a Bed and Breakfast/Winery. The hacienda was built and
influenced by the architecture of the desert in Iran. It is beautiful.
The
video on their website www.adobeguadalupe.com will have you booked and traveling there within the month…I guarantee it.
I am also anxious to
check out Laja, recognized as
the pioneer of the farm-to-table movement in the valley and is often referred
to as Baja’s French Laundry. Remember I said anyone that comes out of The
French Laundry in my book is golden so Laja is at the top of my list for restaurants in the area.
It is
said that over 50 wineries – artisan, boutique and commercial, both large and
small - are located in the 23-kilometer-long valley where a Mediterranean
climate sets the perfect combination of elevation soil, season and temperature
for growing grapes.
I was
surprised to find out that 90 percent of all the wines in Mexico come from
Valle de Guadalupe.
When I first lived there, most of the wines in Mexico were
imports from South America. Of course, I didn’t know that back then. I didn’t
drink wine.
I was in my twenties and the only beverages I touched were Tecate
and Tequila. 20 year old tastes were not quite as sophisticated back then as
they are now. It was a world without the internet.
In a country that is
already famous for its tequila, Valle de Guadalupe winemakers have
collected so many awards they have gained a huge following among wine lovers.
I’ll be eager to try all
the wines from the valley but just as enthusiastic when I can have a
glass of Kendall-Jackson again.
Afterall, old standards are hard
to come by.
Bon Appetit!