The Bounty of Baja: Wine, Food & Local Life in the Guadalupe Valley

After you have your room assignment, see the hotel notice board for the location of our Road Scholar private meeting room where the Orientation Session will take place. 5:00 pm Register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing the up-to-date schedule that reflects any changes, and other important information. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet at the hotel front desk when you check in. Our Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures, answer questions and give us a presentation on the culinary and winemaking industries of Baja California. Our knowledgeable Group Leader will also serve as our Study Leader for most field trips and deliver educational content unless specified otherwise. Transportation will be via private motorcoach and Sprinter. For meals that offer a choice of dishes, we will circulate a form in advance to note everyone’s preferences and save time ordering. Meals in wine country are leisurely, restaurants generally open for lunch at 1:30 p.m. and meals can extend to two hours. While in Mexico, purified water will always be available on the motorcoach, at the hotels, and restaurants. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

In the hotel private room. Please note the culinary experience will begin in Mexico.

The remainder of the evening is free. Continue getting to know your fellow Road Scholars, settle in, and get a good night’s rest for the day ahead. Note: Both a valid passport and a personal permit are required for entry into Mexico. The permit will be issued by the Immigration Bureau upon entering Mexico. The Group Leader will be on hand to assist as needed. You must carry all your belongings including luggage and carry-ons across the border when entering Mexico and again when re-entering the United States. As a general rule when going through Customs into Mexico and returning to the U.S., no fruits, vegetables, cheese, meats, or plants are allowed. The State of California allows one liter of alcoholic beverages per adult (21 years of age and older). No person under 21 years of age may bring in any quantity of alcoholic beverages.

At the hotel.

We will check out of the hotel, board our motorcoach, and begin the journey south through the most-crossed border in the world, separating the United States and Mexico at San Ysidro. We will get off the bus and walk across the border carrying our belongings as we go through Mexican immigration and customs. Everyone will need to present a passport and complete a form on site to receive the required personal permit. The Group Leader will be on hand to assist as needed. Re-boarding our motorcoach on the other side of the border, we will ride to our first stop in Mexico: a gallery displaying works of art representative of the emerging “borderless art” movement. The owner will give us a presentation and discuss the artwork we see as we walk through the gallery.

At Caesar’s Restaurant in Tijuana, featuring the renowned Caesar Salad. The story goes that the original salad recipe was concocted in the 1920s with what was on hand for a group of pilots from Rockwell Field outside San Diego. The dish, originally dubbed Aviator Salad, became popular and was soon called Caesar Salad for the restaurant. Part of the appeal was and is having it prepared tableside.

The drive to Ensenada will offer magnificent vistas of the Pacific Ocean. Upon arrival, we will check in to our oceanfront hotel — where every room has a balcony with a view — with some time to freshen up and relax. We’ll then ride to a local garden restaurant. There, in the wine bar, we will participate in a themed wine-tasting experience with a local expert to help develop our senses, identify aromas and flavors, and appreciate the wine experience. We’ll also learn about Baja wines, their development, and production.

At the restaurant.

Returning to the hotel, the remainder of the evening will be at leisure to relax and enjoy the peaceful oceanfront location.

At the hotel.

We will spend today learning about and getting acquainted with the Guadalupe Valley in the heart of the wine country. Amid rolling hills and granite boulders, wineries range from simple working establishments to state of the art industries, often displaying innovative architecture. Sprinkled among them are ranches, orchards, vineyards, artists’ studios, and gourmet restaurants. There are currently about 100 wineries in Mexico’s wine region, from large commercial producers to mid-sized establishments and makeshift operations. We will visit a winery where personnel will take us through the winemaking process ending in the tasting room where we will have an opportunity to taste delicious wines. Moving on, we’ll ride on to an adjacent establishment with a grand view of the valley to taste their wines and compare flavors.

At the winery. Due to the early dinner event, lunch will consist of select snacks while tasting wines.

The valley was once home to people of diverse heritage including Kumiai Native Indians, Spanish missionaries, and a colony of Molokan Russians. We will stop briefly at a small museum to become acquainted with this history. We’ll ride on to the last winery of our day. Clos de Tres Cantos is unusual. Founded in 2014, it is based on sustainability and recycling with distinctive architecture, a passion for winemaking, and a philosophy of living the good life with respect for Pachamama — a Quechua word for Mother Earth. The owner will lead our exploration as we experience all of these elements that together have created true works of art in both wine and architecture.

We will dine at one of the wine country’s famed restaurants featuring renown chefs that promote the highly praised Baja-Mediterranean farm-and-sea-to-table-cuisine.

Returning to the hotel, you might like to relax at the bar or wander along the peaceful oceanfront and step into the jacuzzi overlooking the restless Pacific Ocean.

At the hotel.

Today we will explore shores and valleys south of Ensenada. Boarding the Sprinter, we will get to know Ensenada, a city established by the English at the end of the 19th century as a port to serve the booming inland mines. It remains an important harbor for cargo, fishing, and cruise ships. We will drive past historical wooden homes built by the English; walk through the fresh fish and seafood market where live music groups entertain; See the epic Riviera del Pacifico, a former casino, and hear stories about its glorious past. Back on the Sprinter, we will ride to Santo Tomas Valley. The winemaking industry in Baja had its roots in the mission of Santo Tomas, founded in the 1770s, that eventually became an established winery in 1888. It is now one of Mexico’s biggest as well as one of the oldest. We will see modern installations, then climb onto a wagon and ride through the vineyards. As we ride we’ll learn about viticulture while stopping to taste different varieties of wines along the way. We will then drive a short distance to a nearby country restaurant for lunch.

At a local country restaurant.

Return to the hotel for some free time to freshen up. Later on, we’ll ride to a restaurant kitchen for a cooking class and join in preparing our dinner. Led by a chef, we will discover delicious aspects of the recently defined Baja Californian cuisine. After a brief introduction to the proposed menu, we’ll take part in everything from chopping onions to braising meat, mixing a delicate sauce, or putting finishing touches on the final dish. Artisan beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages will accompany the cooking process as well as dinner itself.

At the restaurant, we’ll enjoy the meal we helped to prepare.

At leisure.

At the hotel.

We will ride to the home-based studio of the internationally recognized De La Torre artists in the Guadalupe Valley. Classifying their artistic creations is a challenge. Their arts and craft works — glass representations, paintings, metal structures, and ceramics — have been described as a hybrid blend of high and low culture, sacred and profane, esoteric and pop, and even Baroque. Their works have been collected by museums and galleries around the world and featured in a PBS documentary. We will see work being produced and hear from a member of the family, Beliz Iristay De La Torre. Beliz is a Turkish American Mexican artist. Her ceramics critically examine the traditions in the cultures she has experienced. Her work has been recently exhibited at the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego and other well known Museums and Art Fairs in the United States. We will continue our exploration of Guadalupe Valley. Set in a lush garden and organic orchard, Tres Mujeres is a lovely small artisan establishment operated by three women, one of whom is a ceramist. We will step into their tasting room to appreciate the wine as well as the ceramics.

At the winery.

We’ll have some independent time to explore the orchard. Back at the hotel, the remainder of the afternoon is free to see and do what interests each of us most.

At a fusion restaurant featuring Baja California specialties. Share favorite experiences with new Road Scholar friends during our farewell dinner.

Back at the hotel, we will gather at the bar for a last glass of wine to toast farewell to our new travel companions. Prepare for check-out and departure in the morning.

Hotel plated meal.

We will depart Ensenada by motorcoach at 8:00 a.m. and ride to the Mexico-U.S. border. Crossing back into San Diego, we will ride to San Diego Airport with arrival expected at approximately 12:00 Noon. The motorcoach will then move on to the Courtyard Marriott Hotel. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!