L.A. Cetto and Casa Dona Lupe Winery

My lifestyle includes traveling so let’s travel wine style.

I make traveling high on my prioritizing list. Here on the blog you will find many entries on what I find sipping my way around the world. Did you check out my post on wine in Hawaii? See my blog post here.

I never miss a chance to go wine tasting. It doesn’t matter where I am either. If wine is your passion like it is with me then fulfill that passion by finding one local winery, urban, or otherwise while on your travels. Tasting local wine is a way to explore a neighborhood or countryside. It is a way to emerge yourself into the culture you are visiting- wine may be made all around the world but it is made in very different styles using very different techniques reflecting the people of the culture that made it. There is a story in each bottle of wine and you never know what you might learn from it. All these reasons are why it is worth it to check out a region’s wineries. If wine is just not available you can find the same information by visiting breweries or distilleries (I was well cultured and well versed in my Irish Whiskeys after a trip to Ireland). You get the idea. If you love to travel and explore new parts of the world sampling that region’s local crafted wines, beers,or spirits is just another aspect of the adventure. 

Along my glorious two week cruise to and from Hawaii we made a pit stop in local Ensenada. I call it local cause we were almost home at that point lol. I have been to Ensenada several times, been wine tasting here before, and my dad would take me down here for long weekends. Ensenada even reminds me of San Diego. Sure San Diego has a bit more irrigation and is a little greener but that landscape is damn near the same. No wonder the Guadalupe Valley has been climbing up the list for wine production regions. Like I mentioned I have been to the Valley before on a wine tasting trip and was thoroughly impressed by what I tasted. I was with a group of professionals in the wine industry so we really got an in depth look at the region. I was looking forward to another tour around the valley and was open to letting the cruise line direct my travels. Being that there was a small group of us I find it easier if someone else does the planning lol.

So off we were on a mystery wine tour. As with last time I didn’t bother researching the places beforehand. Guess I like the element of surprise lol. I know not everyone will be as open to this kinda thing and I get that. Once we got on our tour bus the very knowledgeable tour guide began going over the two wineries that we were about to go to. Both wineries are some of the oldest most well established wineries in the region with roots starting back in the 1980s or earlier. However both wineries are on different ends of the spectrum when it comes to wine style, sales, production, ambiance, and impact.

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Our first stop was Casa Dona Lupe, which when translated to the House of Ms. Lupe, as in she wants us to feel like we are being invited into her home. At Casa Dona Lupe they are known for their organic wines, meaning the grapes are grown organically as well as made organically. I have had many nice organic wines but not from Mexico.  I was interested in trying these wines and being a well established vineyard had thought the wine must be good since they have been in business so long. Also a unique factor of the winery is the production level, I did not get a direct answer but if I have to guess they produce less than 10,000 cases (maybe be closer to 5,000) of wine a year which is considered a small winery. Once arriving at the facility it was a cute and homey, accompanied by varied farm animals, friendly cats, and chickens that roamed around. They had a full size kitchen that produced pizzas and standard Mexican cuisine with ample seating both indoors and outdoors. The tasting room was large and included the kitchen, with all the wines lining the wall, as well as huge varieties of homemade jams, jellies, and salsas. I believe these were also all organic and made from produce grown on the property. Cute! 

So how are the wines? Well to keep it short and to the point the wines were hugely disappointing. While I was impressed by their selection on varietals and happy with the amount of tasting, you were allowed to choose 5 of any of their wines, there was not a single wine that was without flaw or fault. And I really am not trying to be mean I am telling you on what to expect if you go here. One of the wines was so riddled and overcome in Volatile Acidity it smelled like straight nail polish remover. Pretty sure if I stuck my finger in the wine that the polish would be stripped off. Unfortunately I cannot even praise one of their wines. Utterly disappointed and cannot recommend anyone go there. What is the cruise line/ tour company thinking? Despite my disappointment I can pass on the information to you. If looking for good wine in the Valley there is much better wine out there than this place.

At least I hoped so cause I was the one in the beginning to get my group signed up for this tour, lol. My past experience has told me that wine is very good in Mexico but up till this point my travel companions thought I was crazy. I had my fingers crossed that the next one would be better. I already had higher expectations when the tour guide mentioned that then the second winery was much bigger, so big that they export to around the world- wine had to be good right???

And yes it was! L.A. Cetto was our next stop and as it turns out I have actually had some of their wines before. This winery is a massive wine producer easily equipped to produce over 10 million cases a year. 10 million! So odds are you may have had one of their wines too. The wine I had before was their Nebbiolo which I will talk about more in detail in a bit.

L.A. Cetto is a total 180 opposite of the first winery, large, professional, clean, and massive. A part of the entire tour included a guided tour through parts of the winery itself. I will use this adjective again, massive! I have been to a lot of wineries before and seen production of all levels but this might be the biggest I have personally stepped foot in. Needless to say my mind was blown! Check out these few photos…

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L.A. Cetto does have a long history of making wine and started all in the family. Family was originally from Italy which makes a lot of sense regarding some of the wines that are made. They seem to me a people of passion and intensity and obviously driven with successful markets all over the world. So immaculate winery, quintessential tasting room – sorry missing picture here, no noise from other business ( restaurant or homemade jams/salsa), just pure winery. So how are the wines??

Delicious, affordable, delectable, approachable, and basically happiness in a glass. I was overjoyed with the wines here (especially after our first stop). Here the flight of wines we tasted was pre-selected so we all tried the same wines. We tried four wines here the first being the Blanc de Blancs and white wine blend made of Chenin Blanc and Colombord. This white wine was super crisp, refreshing, and full of tropical fruits and honey. The acidy on those wines wakes up your palate, makes your mouth water, and tastes buds ready for more wine. Very good and perfect for those light white wine drinkers.

The second wine we tried was the L.A. Cetto Verano, or their summer wine. Really is just a marketing idea on how to label and sell wines cause we definitely tasted this wine in the middle of winter lol. The Verano wine is another white wine blend made with Sauvigon Blanc and Colombord. This one might have been my favorite wine. This wine was fruit forward with flavors of citrus, guava, and hints of white flowers. This wine was a bit more complex to me with deeper characteristics and a longer finish. I ended up taking this one home!

One of the last wines we tried was the Nebbiolo. Nebbiolo is originally from Italy which to me makes sense why they would try and plant grapes in the Guadalupe Valley. Turns out several Italians grow well in the region and Nebbiolo might be the wine they do best there at the winery.

Nebbiolo is a fantastic grape and I find it perfectly suiting for the winery and region they are growing it in. Nebbiolo is originally from the Piemonte region in the Northwest of Italy. Nebbiolo is one of my favorite grapes in that it can be made in many different styles to be strong, robust, and heavy on the palate with tannins and leather or be made in a softer style where the fruit comes forward of cherries and raspberries. This is typically what you see in New World styles – or for our example, in Mexico. We loved this wine and the L.A. Cetto Nebbiolo was exceptionally well done. I have mentioned that we have tried this wine before but trying it at the winery, after the tour, with our knowledgeable guide made a difference in appreciation of the wine itself. Tasting notes include fig, cherry, tea, leather, and raspberries with the tannin being present but not overwhelming. A good wine and approachable on all accounts. We ended up buying this one as well. Just can’t myself sometimes! However these wines were actually quite light on the wallet as L.A. Cetto keeps most of their wines approachable in price as well. I am pretty sure we paid under $20 for all the bottles, some were even $15. Which in my mind is incredibly cheap and a huge value for the money. I can’t even think of a winery in the States that I’ve tasted at that can match those prices.

With all that good wine we didn’t even have a chance to try them all. We will be back to this winery for sure next time I go back to the Valle de Guadalupe (which isn’t that far for me!)

I am hoping this little trip of mine speaks to you so on your next vacation go wine tasting, enjoy the adventure. If traveling to the Valle de Guadalupe Mexico I would say that L.A. Cetto is worth a stop and visit. Happy travels!