04 Feb Please The Palate Pick of the Week: Bloodlust Wine Bar in Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico
85% of Mexican wine comes from Baja California and Valle de Guadalupe is the main wine region in Ensenada. Wine has been made in Valle de Guadalupe since the 1960s But, in the last decade, Valle de Guadalupe has become a destination in Baja California for wine lovers. There were only 25 wineries in 2006 and today there are 190! Between the winery tasting rooms and restaurants in the Valle, there are many places to taste the wines of Valle de Guadalupe. But one thing Valle de Guadalupe did not have until recently was a wine bar. Bloodlust Wine Bar is the first wine bar in Valle de Guadalupe and the Please The Palate pick of the week.
Sommelier Taylor Grant who makes wine (Tresomm) in Valle de Guadalupe recommended the Bloodlust Wine Bar to me when I told her I was heading to Valle de Guadalupe. I mapped it out and decided we would stop by over the weekend. While tasting at a nearby winery, we looked across the valley and could see the odd shaped wine bar. While the color of the building blended into the natural surrounding, it was the shape that stood out.
We found our way to the wine bar after driving on a few unnamed dirt roads. But it was worth it. The surrealist architecture of Bloodlust Wine Bar looks like head of garlic, although it is supposed to be a wine drop, in the middle of the dessert.
Inside, the bar is low-lit and it felt like we had entered Chalmun’s Spaceport Cantina from Star Wars. But of course, there were no bounty hunters. Instead there was the lovely general manager Paulina who greeted us and sat us at our table. It was cold outside but for warmer days, there is outdoor seating as well as an artistic space for pop up music events.
Bloodlust Wine Bar offers more than 60 labels of wine from Baja, as well as cocktails. They have traditional wines but we decided to try something “interesting”. We ordered a Pet Nat produced by Vino Drosophila that was made from Pinot Noir and Palomino grapes.
We also enjoyed a bottle of Piquette d’Avisppa. What was cool about this piquette is that it was not made with only grape must, but rather was 75% pear and 20% Ojos Negros organic apples co-fermented with 5% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes from Rancho Doce Piedras that was macerated with Egyptian mint from Huerto Terruño. This wine was made in the ancestral method with natural yeasts. The water used with the must was Well Alkaline water and no sulphites were added. There is no sugar added. The result is a refreshing drink with citrus, floral, and red fruit aromas. This wine is made by Rick Zazueta, an author and professional croquet player, and Diego Hernandez with enologist Gustavo Meillón.
Bloodlust has a kitchen that serves traditional Baja food using local produce from local farmers. We ordered a pre-dinner snack of homemade hummus with tapenade and served with warm peasant bread.
Bloodlust Wine Bar is a wonderful place to stop on a weekend in Valle de Guadalupe to enjoy a large selection of Baja wines in a cool venue.
Bloodlust Wine Bar
Doña Emilia lote 13-2 San Marcos poblado Ejido el Porvenir
Valle de Guadalupe, BCN 22750