Our research is editorially independent but we may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.

10 Best Wineries and Vineyards in Baja, Mexico

When you think of Mexico and traditional beverages, you probably picture shots of tequila or margaritas sipped around a swim-up bar at a luxury resort, but the country is quickly becoming known for its outstanding wine. Baja’s wine country is particularly notable, with picturesque vineyards and wineries tucked into the through the northern Baja countryside, producing grapes reminiscent of Old Tuscany. Guadalupe Valley is one of the few places on Earth with the type of conditions needed for growing premium wine grapes, and it’s here that you’ll find many of the country’s top wine producers.

El Cielo El Cielo Winery, Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, Mexico
Credit: El Cielo Winery, Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, Mexico by Vinos El Cielo

El Cielo

El Cielo almost seems as if it’s a wine-focused theme park. A winery and a resort, if you decide to stay it offers pickup service from Tijuana’s airport. Surrounded by mountains, vineyards and olive trees, accommodation is in large villas that include a patio or balcony facing a lake. Guests can also take the property’s wine trolley tour through the vineyards, which offers fascinating information about Baja California vine cultivation and wine-making, which was established here by Russian immigrants in the early 19th-century. The culinary experience is exceptional and all about artistically prepared Baja Mediterranean cuisine paired with a constant flow of outstanding wines from the property’s vineyards.

Vena Cava, Ensenada Vena Cava VInicola
Credit: Vena Cava VInicola by Vena Cava VInicola

Vena Cava, Ensenada

This highly acclaimed winery is made from reclaimed fishing boats and sits across 70 acres in the Valle de Guadalupe. The property also includes two restaurants and a boutique hotel. Enjoy lounging at the outdoor bar which serves wine and local craft beer and wine overlooking the valley, and dining on Mexican gastropub fare at TROIKA. More wine tasting experiences can be had in the boat-hull roofed tasting room, and just a hundred yards to the south is Corazon de Tierra for fine dining.

Casa de Piedra Casa De Piedra, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Credit: Casa De Piedra, Baja California Sur, Mexico by Casa De Piedra

Casa de Piedra

This small production winery that focuses on boutique wines offers a delicious and informative tasting experience, with its most popular line the Espuma de Piedra,  sparkling wines that are produced in the traditional champenoise method. It also offers acclaimed red wines, Constraste and Vino de Piedra. If you want to learn more about Mexican wines and their history, this is one of the best places to do just that with its highly knowledgeable, friendly staff. Casa de Piedra’s founder Hugo d’Acosta is important in Mexican winemaking, the man behind the summer camp for small grape producers looking to become winemakers.

Xecue Vinicola Vinos Xecue, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Credit: Vinos Xecue, Baja California Sur, Mexico by Vinos Xecue

Xecue Vinicola

Located on the Wine Route, Xecue, a Kiliwa word that means ” love” and represents the paths union for the love of wine, was founded by a couple of engineers motivated by their love of the land and its products. Luis has a deep knowledge of the land and honors the natives, noting that the grapes are like his “children” and he hopes that they “all find good homes.” Wine lovers can taste the results of their efforts and enjoy a tour to learn more about the products and how they’re made.

Finca la Carrodilla vineyard grapes
Credit: vineyard grapes by bigstock.com

Finca la Carrodilla

Finca la Carrodilla offers a laid-back vibe and a beautiful setting for tastings. The only winery in the region using certified organic grapes, its Shirazes and Cabs are in high demand and can be sipped in the property’s leafy rooftop garden. Enjoy no-pressure tastes that are all self-guided. They’ll pour you a glass and you can decide if you’d like to buy a bottle and relax in the garden for a while.  While tours aren’t advertised they can be requested to learn more about the organic winemaking process.

Decantos Vinicola Decantos Vinicoloa, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Credit: Decantos Vinicoloa, Baja California Sur, Mexico by Decantos Vinicoloa

Decantos Vinicola

Decantos Vinicola offers the chance to sip regional wine while gazing at 50 acres of the beautiful Guadalupe Valley. A young family-run winery, the majority of its wines are from the 2014 harvest and are known for encompassing the unique flavors of the region. Noted for its modern, minimalist architecture and groundbreaking techniques, Decantos uses gravity instead of mechanical decanting to transfer wine from tank to barrel, helping to maintain the integrity of the wines’ flavor, aroma and color. Said to set the standard for others to come, ask for Alonso or Alejandro to explain the philosophy behind their wine project.

Bodegas Magoni  bottle of Casa Magoni wine
Credit: bottle of Casa Magoni wine by Casa Magoni

Bodegas Magoni 

The family-owned Bodegas Magoni made only wines for private consumption until opening to the public in 2013. Today, it’s working on 70 experimental varieties.  It has a fun tasting room and a great restaurant, but with shady mature trees and sweeping valley vistas, you may want to enjoy a picnic on the grounds after picking up a bottle of the manaz, a white wine named after one of the areas the grapes are grown in the valley. You can also buy house-made olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Lechuza Winery Merlot sign at Lechuza Wines, Baja California Sur, Mexico
Credit: Merlot sign at Lechuza Wines, Baja California Sur, Mexico by Lechuza Wines

Lechuza Winery

Lechuza offers a picturesque space that includes a vineyard and garden with a seating area for enjoying wines with a view along with a small shop selling boutique items. The tasting option includes its entire line of five wines a Chardonnay, a rosé,  a red blend, a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Nebbiolo, that can be enjoyed with various snacks like the cheese board made up of delicious local cheeses. The Nebbiolo and the Cabernet Sauvignon with 24 months of aging in barrels behind them are the favorites.

Vina de Frannes Vina de Frannes
Credit: Vina de Frannes by Vina de Frannes

Vina de Frannes

The vineyards at Vina de Frannes were first planted in the 1930s by the President of Mexico to make brandy. The winery you see today was planted in 1985 and includes 25 hectares and six varieties of grapes that surround the wood and glass facilities. Founded by world-renowned winemaker Ernesto Álvarez Morphy Camou, with some help from  French enologist Michel Rolland, it offers a wonderful natural setting that can be enjoyed while sipping on the patio. Its Restaurante Campestre serves mouthwatering regional dishes to go with that fine wine.

Aliximia-Vino Elemental Alximia
Credit: Alximia by Alximia

Aliximia-Vino Elemental

Aliximia comes from the word “Alquimia” alchemy in Spanish, an ideal name for a winery whose family’s background is in science and math. Álvaro Álvarez, who has a Ph.D. in math, is the winemaker behind it and his father is an astronomer. The family built a unique three-story round winery that looks like a flying saucer,  with every detail of the building scientifically designed to take advantage of nature, from its rain-collecting rooftop to the adobe walls that maintain temperature and humidity. The most reputable wines include the MAGMA 2012, a carignan/grenache premium wine that won the Double Gold Medal at the Toast of the Coast 2016 wine competition.

Travel Deals

Affordable RV Rentals For Your Spring Adventure

$60+

$500 Air Credit + $150 Credit at Beaches Negril

$233+ pp/pn

7-Day Ireland by Rail Tour w/ Belfast & Titanic Experience

$2328+

Save $400 | 10-Day Ireland by Train w/ Activities & Tours

$1399+

8-Day Italian Vista Guided Tour: Rome to Milan

$2339+

7-Day Croatia Tour | Save $1,000 Per Couple

$1699+

6-Day Iceland Guided Tour w/ Whale Watching Cruise

$3369+

Unleash Your Wild - Discover Anchorage Today

VISIT

6-Day New Mexico Tour | Save $1,000 Per Couple

$1939+

14-Day Custom Castles & Coastlines Ireland Self-Drive Tour

$5486+

9-Day Hidden Treasures of Southern Italy | $500 Off

$2159+

Air & 14-Day Norwegian Fjords Tour | Up to $400 Off

$3799+

$150 Resort Credit | All-Incl. Beaches Turks & Caicos

$417+ pp/pn

Up to 20% Off | Air & 14-Day Ireland Wild Atlantic Way Tour

$2239+

Air & 14-Day Small Group Tour of Rajasthan, India

$1699+