Wine Down - A Week in Mexico's Wine Country

Valle de Guadalupe – Mexico’s Wine Valley

Valle de Guadalupe is located about two hours south of San Diego and it is Mexico’s premier wine region, producing about 90% of all Mexican wine. After reading about how dog friendly the region is, we decided to make the road trip from Berkeley and back, stopping in LA, San Diego and Santa Barbara on the way. There are over 100 wineries in the valley and countless boutique hotels and bed & breakfasts and during our research we found numerous options for lodging, all dog friendly. We ultimately decided to stay in Bruma – Casa 8 because of it’s central location, beautiful design and boutique feel (there are only 8 rooms).

Casa 8 – Bruma – Hotel & Winery

Bruma is a working winery, restaurant and boutique hotel set on 200 acres in beautiful Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California along the along “La Ruta del Vino” or wine route. Casa 8 is their cozy bed & breakfast consisting of 8 suites and a main house which holds the kitchen, living room, pool and deck, as well as an outdoors lounge area. To say that Casa 8 is dog friendly would be an understatement – we were greeted by 3 dogs and 2 lounging cats upon checking in, all living their best life. Squash fit right in and immediately felt at home. She befriended “Uva” or Grape, the resident dog and they would go on morning walks around the winery. The staff would make her breakfast every morning (a combination of eggs, fruits and whatever was the special of the the day) and during the day we would lounge by the communal pool or hangout outside our room. After a week of getting pampered and living her best winery life, it was really difficult to take her away from what she thought was the new normal.

Pro Tip: summer is the busy season so we opted to go in October when the days are cooler and the valley is calmer. As a result, it felt like we were the only ones on the property. A few other parties trickled in here and there but for the most part, it really did feel like we had the winery and 200 acres to ourselves.

Dog standing in a pool with mountains in the back

Dog Friendly Restaurants

Fauna: Fauna is 1 of 2 restaurants on the Bruma compound and it’s right up the hill from Casa 8 (the 8 room B&B on the property). The restaurant is as stunning as the food is delicious and while most guests are seated at one long wooden communal table that runs from the inside to the outside of the restaurant, there is also plenty of outdoor seating and spaces to dine and bring your pup. All plates are for sharing and while there is an à la carte option, most parties choose the 20-course Feast tasting menu, or the shorter-length Fauna, where each course is centered around one ingredient.

Bruma Wine Garden: the wine garden is also located at Bruma winery, but while Fauna is perfect for a more dressed up dinner, the sister restaurant is a cool and casual spot perfect for brunch and lunch. It’s also the perfect spot to bring dogs because the entire restaurant is outside and you get to dine under the cool shade of olive trees. It is a beautiful spot located right next to the B&B’s main house/lobby.

Animalón: this restaurant is not only one of the most stunning dining destinations in the valley, but also extremely dog friendly. The restaurant’s centerpiece, aside from it’s food, is the 200 year old oak tree that covers most of the dining area. All seating is outdoors so you and your pup can dine underneath that majestic oak tree. We would recommend going for dinner to take full advantage of the stunning setting and eat underneath the stars and the lit up oak tree. Animalón has a second location in Cabo.

Deckman’s: the dog friendliness of this valley comes from the fact that most restaurants are fully or at least partially outdoor dining destinations. Deckman’s is no different. Outside of a cozy barn on the El Mogor ranch, Deckman’s had some of the freshest vegetables we ate during out week in Valle de Guadalupe. I would say this one was one of Squash’s favorite restaurants as she got to smell all the meats the team was grilling throughout the course of the night.

La Cocina de Doña Esthela: this place is a must for anyone traveling to or through Valle de Guadalupe. As the story goes, Doña Esthela set up a picnic bench in kitchen years ago and started cooking for the locals, Word spread and today the restaurant sits up to 150 people and the wait time can last up to 2 hours. There is plenty of outdoor seating and lots of local dogs roaming the property, making it the perfect spot to bring dogs. The corn flour pancakes, chilaquiles, huevos rancheros, fresh corn tortillas, and the oven-roasted lamb are some of the must haves at La Cocina de Doña Esthela.