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Vena Cava Vinícola

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On Friday we visited Vena Cava and winery owned by Phil and Eileen Gregory, where Phil is also the Enólogo. The winery is made up of a number of upside down boats which welcomes you to a slightly funky decor.

The entrance to the Vena Cava vinicola.

The entrance to the Vena Cava vinicola.

 

Vena Cava

Vena Cava

 

The architecture of the Vena Cava winicola is based upon upside down boats.

The architecture of the Vena Cava winicola is based upon upside down boats.

There also is a water pond just past the parking lot. It gives a beach front feeling that you will not receive at any of the other wineries.

Beach Front at Vena Cava?

Beach Front at Vena Cava?

When we entered the winery, the crew were in the middle of bottling some of the wine. Very organized and productive process.

Bottling Rose at Vena Cava

Bottling Rose at Vena Cava

Inside the barrel storage area, the a numerous barrels of various blends, some of which have the same grapes but have slightly different mixes of the grapes.

La Cava en la Vena Cava

La Cava en la Vena Cava

 

La Cava en la Vena Cava

La Cava en la Vena Cava

Prior to our tasting Jo Ann was having a conversation about the history of the wines.

Jo Ann in the Vena Cava Tasting Room

Jo Ann in the Vena Cava Tasting Room

Vena Cava has an extensive portfolio of wines, but alas we did not get to taste all of them.

Seleccion de vino en Vena Cava

Seleccion de vino en Vena Cava

 

We did not get to try this bottle yet, so I can not comment on the taste or aroma.

We did not get to try this bottle yet, so I can not comment on the taste or aroma.

 

We did not get to try this bottle yet, maybe we will return, but the blend looks very interesting to me.

We did not get to try this bottle yet, maybe we will return, but the blend looks very interesting to me.

 

I enjoyed the Vena Cava Zinfadel.

I enjoyed the Vena Cava Zinfandel. I found the wine had a great deep red color, good clarity. It had a fruity but was not spicy. I rated it 3.5 out of 5.

 

The Vena Cava Rosado 2014 was a very unique blend for a Rosado.

The Vena Cava Rosado 2014 was a very unique blend for a Rosado. It has long legs, but was a little thin on taste. My rating was 2.5 out of 5.

 

The white was a mix of varietals and was very good.

The white was a mix of varietals and was very good. It has a sweet taste but is very complex for a white wine. I rated this 4.0 out of 5.

 

View across the Valle

View across the Valle

We did come back the following Tuesday in order to meet up with Phil and talk about his wines. Here is Jo Ann and Phil sharing a great glass of the Big Blend.

Phil Gregory and Jo Ann

Phil Gregory and Jo Ann

Address: Rancho San Marcos, Toros Pintos S7N, Ejido Francisco Zarco, Ensenada, B.C.

Phone: +52 (646) 156-8053

www.venacavawine.com

email: venacavawines@gmail.com

Restaurante Laja

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Our first night’s dinner was at Restaurante Laja, one that comes highly recommended. It’s location is very difficult to find and there are no lights and the signage is very hard to see at night. Luckily we had driven by the restaurant during the daylight hours so we knew where we were going.

The evening was getting cooler so it was nice to be able to sit near the fireplace where there was a nice fire burning.

When we walked into Laja last night for dinner we knew were going to enjoy the meal as there was a fire in the fireplace.

When we walked into Laja last night for dinner we knew were going to enjoy the meal as there was a fire in the fireplace.

The ambiance of the restaurant is nice and not overly opulent.

The bar at Laja

The bar at Laja

Any good restaurant must have a good capaccinno machine and Laja did not disappoint.

Any good restaurant must have a good capaccinno machine and Laja did not disappoint.

Before we ordered we were given a basket of warm home made bread that seemed to be fresh from the oven. The olive oil was from Rancho Cortez, a small family run farm that we were planning to visit in the next two days or so.

Outstanding French Intergral bread and local olive oil from Rancho Cortez.

Outstanding French Intergral bread and local olive oil from Rancho Cortez.

The menu consisted of a four course tasting menu (you can go with the longer version but that was beyond our appetites).

Jo Ann started with the Oven Beet Salad, which was beautiful, colorful and very tasty.

Not only was the presentation beautiful but the flavors outstanding.

Not only was the presentation beautiful but the flavors outstanding.

We also also had the Warm Carrot Salad. The carrots were almost burnt but were outstanding.

The next course was the Salmon Tartar, which was actually bland but very well presented and colorful.

Very beautiful presentation but the dish was not very bold or tasteful.

Very beautiful presentation but the dish was not very bold or tasteful.

My second plate was the Burdock Ravioli, which is served in a consume with spinach, parsley and chives. The consume was excellent as was the Burdoc Ravoli. My only disappointment was the presentation was not very exiting. Overall it was outstanding.

Sorry that this image is not very sharp, I must have been excited to taste it. The consume was excellent as was the Burdoc Ravoli. My only disappointment was the presentation was not very exiting.

Sorry that this image is not very sharp, I must have been excited to taste it.

The third plate was the Pan Roasted White fish, which was very tender, very flavorful. It was nicely cooked as the vegetables were crisp but tender.

My pan roasted white fish was excellent and very flavorful.

My pan roasted white fish was excellent and very flavorful.

The other third plate that we had was the oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented. The quail was moist, flavorful with a nice rub.

The oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented.

The oven roasted local quail was also excellent and very well presented.

We ended our meal with the Chocolate Cream with Cardamon ice cream and tulip pastry. It was absolutely wonderful.

Absolutely delightful

Absolutely delightful

For our wine selections we also went with the paired wines. Many of these were nice but not many we would have searched out. The only one that was truly good was the late harvest Chenin Blanc from Monte Xanic. We are already planning to visit this winery so I know that there will be some of these bottles coming home with us.

Serve seemed stiff and somewhat pretentious especially as the evening unfolded. Some times the wines would not be served with the meals and some plates came early or late.

Overall my rating for Laja was a 3.0 out of 5 with a price ranking of $$$. I don’t know if I would return to Laja.

Troika Food Truck

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Our first lunch in the Valle de Guadalupe was at the food truck on the vineyard of Vena Cava called Troika.

Today's menu at Troika

Today’s menu at Troika

 

The Troika Food Truck

The Troika Food Truck

 

Grilling Tomatoes for lunch.

Grilling Tomatoes for lunch.

 

Walking home through the vineyards of Vena Cava

Walking home through the vineyards of Vena Cava

We started out with the Tacos de Cameron’s, which had a very smokey aroma and were outstanding (sorry no photos).

We then has the Tacos de Lechon which were also outstanding, very tasty and tender. They are cooked for six hours in leaves so the meat is very moist and tender.

The Lechon was cooked for six hours over a slow fire wrapped in leaves and both tacos were excellent

The Lechon was cooked for six hours over a slow fire wrapped in leaves and both tacos were excellent

We then moved on the Ensalada, which was a beautiful salad although the taste was somewhat plain as the dressing was bland.

The garden salad was very tasty and enjoyable.

The garden salad was very tasty and enjoyable.

We then ended our meal with the Sliders de Chiquials, which were outstanding.

Amazing sliders to start our lunch

Amazing sliders to end our lunch

I really liked sitting outside and enjoying the weather of the Valle while eating at Troika. I rate the restaurant a 3.0 out of 5 and the prices are very reasonable. This is a definite repeat location.

Casa Mayoral

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The majority of our stay in Baja was going to be at Casa Mayoral. It is an excellent B&B with extremely friendly staff. Although it is located a little off of the main road, it is easy to find and get to.

The property has a large orchard of citrus trees which at this time of the year are in full blossom and the aromas are just wonderful.

Citrus Glaore en Casa Mayoral.

Citrus Glaore en Casa Mayoral.

They also have a number of old farm implements which are interesting to look at.

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

 

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

Old Farm Equipment at Casa Mayoral

But as you can see the view of the Valle from Casa Mayoral is outstanding.

View across the Valle

View across the Valle

During our stay there was a strong storm that blew through Baja as well as Los Angeles and San Diego. The evening of the storm it was too difficult to get out so we stayed home and were able to use the kitchen of the B&B which was very nice.

I strongly recommend Casa Mayoral and wish we had tried using their recommended chef who will prepare a dinner on site so you don’t have to drive to the restaurant.

¡Searching for Culinary and Vino Adventures in la Valle de Guadalupe!

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For the next week we will be exploring the Valle de Guadalupe searching out new wineries and restaurants throughout the Valle as well as in Tijuana. Our research of the area shows that it has totally blossomed into a major culinary and wine mecca that any true foodie needs to experience.

We will be starting our first day in Tijuana as our flight does not arrive until late in the afternoon. It has been almost 40 years since I last visited Tijuana and I know it is going to have changed traumatically.

We hope you will enjoy following our culinary adventures as we explore this wonderful area of México and that you will be able to come to experience it in your near future.

Flying from Morelia to Tijuana

Flying from Morelia to Tijuana

The Climate Is Going Crazy

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We started the week off down at the beach in Troncones.  When we arrived on Sunday, the weather was what you would expect for a tropical resort area, warm and beautiful clear skies.

 

Troncones Sunset

Troncones Sunset

Monday we got to spend the day walking on the beach and enjoying some pool time.

View from the pool

View from the pool

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Pelicans

Pelicans

However come Tuesday we started to receive some very unexpected rain and the temperatures turned quite cold for the beach.  Over the next two days we received over 250mm of rain and the temperatures did not exceed 21° C.

Rain in January?

Rain in January?

Too Cold To Enjoy

Too Cold To Enjoy

We came back to Pátzcuaro on Friday and are receiving some of the coldest weather that I can recall since moving to Pátzcuaro.  It was actually slightly below 0° this morning so around 5:30a I was moving all the tomato starts from the green house into the living room.

Jo Ann's Tomato Starts

Jo Ann’s Tomato Starts

Now the weather is back up to around 14º and is suppose to top out at a normal 21 or 22º.  Clearly there is climate change happening, I just hope we can revert back to our normal weather sooner rather than later.

Beach Time In Troncones

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Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Playa Troncones

Templo de El Sagradio en Pátzcuaro, Michoacán, Mexico

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Probably the most photographed building in Pátzcuaro, the Templo de El Sagradio is just a beautiful piece of architecture. I have probably shot it over 30 separate times, in the morning, in the evening, mid-day, HDR, etc. etc. No matter whose image I see there is something magical about this building.

Monarcas de Michoacán

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Some friends of mine were looking at a trip we all did a couple of years ago to Zitácuaro to visit the hallow grounds of where the monarchs spend their winter holidays.  It was truly an amazing visit as we hiked up into the mountains and as the sun rose above the trees, the skies where filled with orange and black.

It is so sad that in the intervening years the population of the monarchs has declined so greatly. I want to make a return trip maybe next year to revisit this special place.