Vena Cava — Attraction in Baja California

Don't believe the hype. VC is on everyone's list as the best that the Guadalupe Valley has to offer, so we went straight there. It was on Thursday June 30 in the afternoon and we had the entire winery to ourselves.

We started with their "natural" wines that tasted like kombucha. Yuck. The host read my face and moved on the the next few pours. They were all salty. I mean salt was incorporated into the wine making process. They were all just bad. The young man pouring looked mortified, and he quietly agreed saying that quality is suffering because of COVID. To make up for the disappointing afternoon, he poured the best VC had to offer, "Phil's Blend", named after the owner Phil Gregory. I took one sip and froze. It was disgusting, yet I was compelled to repeatedly go back to and try to figure out what I was experiencing. And then it hit me. I asked my wife and our host to think of a wet horse blanket and take a sip - there you go.

The property is lovely, but the wines are bad: really bad. The nerve of asking $40 for salty horsey wine is galling. I truly hope they find their way back to being a great wine producer. If you're wondering, try a delicious 2017 Zin from Vinícola...

Vena Cava has one of the coolest wine tasting rooms in all El Valle. The tasting room is beneath an upsidedown boat. The area was nice and cool and the staff was knowledgeable and great - the service added to the overall experience. They had good wine, our favorite was the Big Blend.

There is a lunch truck outside and the food looked delicious. We did not have the opportunity to eat but I look forward to trying next time we visit. Also, there is not really any indoor lounging area. There is plenty of outdoor seating with an interesting and intriguing structure.

Tip: When using GoogleMaps, we were directed to the back entrance which is no longer open. I would advise you to follow the signs or use AppleMaps. The long way around is definitely bumpy and a bit challenging but the signs all point to the...

My visit to this winery was a disappointment. They serve poor wine quality accompanied with disappointing service. The wines were noticeably oxidized and stale, a clear sign they were past their best.

Our server, Juan, responded to our concerns with a surprising indifference: he admitted the wines were opened days before, and he insisted this generally improves the quality. However, anyone familiar with wine knows prolonged exposure to air degrades the flavors.

His dismissive response and lack of interest in our feedback further marred our experience. Despite its claims of sophistication, the winery seemed to misunderstand basic wine preservation and customer service. I can't recommend this place to anyone seeking a quality experience with...