Vena Cava was our third tasting of the trip and easily the most laid-back of the three. After the polish of Monte Xanic and the artsy moodiness of Bruma, Vena Cava was a totally different speed. Still five stars. Okay, the setting. The roof is literally made of old fishing boats flipped upside down over the cellar. The owner is a retired ship captain, so once you walk inside it all clicks. It's funky and a little weird, and I loved it. Our host was a gem. Knowledgeable, attentive, generous, and so into what he was pouring that he kept slipping us extras to try beyond our tasting. We tried some of their natural wines, and I LOVED them. The orange wine, especially. They reminded me of a good sour beer, kind of funky and tart, and I was very into it. Heads up, though: the rest of my group of four hated them. Natural wines are a love them or leave them situation. After our tasting, we hung out on the grounds and grabbed food from the Troika food truck out front, and honestly, we could have stayed all afternoon. The whole place is so unhurried, and after two more buttoned-up tastings, it was exactly what I needed. Different from the others, not better or worse. I really enjoyed the wine and the whole hangout, and I'll absolutely be back on our next trip. read more

AMAZING FUN UNIQUE WINES. Can't wait to be back one day. The person who guided us through the wines was very well knowledgeable and fun to talk to. read more

The wine and hospitality was great, but unfortunately my group was grossly overcharged. We went here with a tour guide (Fernando Gaxiola of Baja Food + Wine) and he charged us 30% more than what we actually drank. It's really unfortunate because it put a huge damper on what would've been a great memory and experience. I haven't been able to get refunded for the over-charge, but if it gets resolved, I'll gladly change my review. read more

This was such an incredible winery. Went with a group of 11 girls for a friend's birthday and it was such a great experience. We had a tasting in their air conditioned wine cellar and the service did a fantastic job of explaining all the wines to us. I was a big fan of their mixed tasting which included natural wines and was about $30. It is so beautiful here, the ambiance is super unique and unmatched and tons of photo ops. read more

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I love eating lunch outside near the vineyards and this was one of the most beautiful and delicious lunches I've had. It was about 28 of us for our annual firm holiday party, and everything was over-the-top incredible. We had a four-course family style meal of: (1) Hiramasa Tiradito - yellow hiramasa sashimi w/ avocado and citrus vinaigrette - amazing; 2) Arroz Melo so w/ roasted Brussel sprouts, mushrooms and ramineti cheese - so tasty; 3) Roasted baby vegetables w/ green harissa sauce - words cannot even begin to describe how delectable the veggies AND sauce were; we have to try to re-create this at home; 4) pork belly with miso glaze, tzatziki, served with flour tortillas. I'm not usually a pork belly fan, but this was out-of-this-world in meatiness and flavor, not your standard pork fat. Wines were amazing; service and setting was the best. An overall heavenly lunch. read more

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Went on a Saturday afternoon. We made a reservation; however, it was a slow weekend in the Valle (workers mentioned it could be because it was a big graduation weekend). We got our choice of their 3 tasting room areas, so we chose a lovely barrel room that no one was in yet. We did the mixed tasting, which includes some natural and some old world wines. I think that way was the way to go, so we could get a feel for their different lines. Eddy (hopefully I spelled it right) was the person who helped us, and he was great. He had wonderful knowledge of the wines and what foods to pair with them, as he was a chef before. He shared a lot of great history, and we never felt rushed. He was kind enough to take some pictures of our group as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the wines. I think a lot of the wines in the Valle are just so-so, but I felt these were some of the best amongst the many Valle wineries I have gone to. If you haven't had natural wines before, they are a little different, so just be open to try a new experience. I ended up buying some bottles to take home. We also enjoyed the restaurant, which is run by a different group, but they also offered Vena Cava wines. If you are planning to eat there, just know it can't be done together with a tasting at the winery. Vena Cava will definitely stay on my list of wineries to visit in the area. We had a wonderful experience! read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Entrance - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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The service is always phenomenal! Their CABERNET & SAUVIGNON BLANC is the ABSOLUTE BEST in all of el Valle de Guadalupe!!! Grab a bottle,enjoy the views and enjoy the delicious food from Troika!!! YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED read more

One of my favorite wineries in the Valle! Such a unique set up and the wine is amazing. I highly recommend doing a tasting here. They take you to their beautiful tasting room and explain the different wines they offer. The staff is very friendly, knowledgeable and always ready to provide recommendations. I loved hearing about the process of natural wines and getting to taste them! They also have an amazing food truck that is often parked on their lot. The grounds are very unique and you will have fun admiring the structures and placement of everything. Please be advised that the roads leading up to the winery and their parking lot are made of dirt, as is most of the Valle. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

The experience was fantastic, the charcuterie board was delicious and the wine was refreshing This winery is off the beaten track but easy to find. It also has a man-made lake where you can enjoy some wine or a beer if you're not into wine. The tasting takes place where they wine barrels are located and they are located inside of a hill. In order to get the four wine selection and charcuterie board you have to get the premium package and it's definitely worth it I recommend it, and I will be returning in a few months . read more

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A wonderful stop while wine tasting in Valle de Guadalupe! Plenty of space in the different tasting room areas. As well as a good variety of reds, pinks, and whites. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly (English + Spanish spoken). The reds are for sure the standout wines. As some have stated, call ahead and be sure to make a reservation, on weekends, they do not allow walk-ins. read more

Make sure you make reservations only. For a mix tasting it's about $28 per person. It comes with 4 tastings, 2 of those were natural wines. Gosh, it was some of the worst wines I've ever had. The natural wines were not good. I guess it could be an acquire taste but the first was a white and it was cloudy and looked like juice. If natural wines taste like this then definitely not my liking. The taste was of a kombucha, sour, like rotten. Then the second was a Grenache and it was natural and it was not good. Sour again. The third was one they put in a cement container, not good, tasted old, flat, flavorless. The last was a regular process red wine, that was the most decent one. Young wines. What a waste of $28. That's the price of some fine wine tasting in Napa! But for immature young sour wines. Definitely would not come back or try their natural wines again. It also gave us a sour gut and my friend got sick. Everything was sour. read more

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Absolutely incredible service from Katia and Alexia. Went on a monday and felt welcomed and at home given the attentiveness, knowledge and friendliness of the staff. Thanks so much for a beautiful experience. read more

Very friendly service, Edgar was great and made us laugh and feel welcome. One hour tasting, delicious wines. Cute atmosphere!

The lady who served our wine tasting was fantastic. We did a mixed tasting of natural and traditional wines. She shared a lot of the history of their wines, as well as engaged us about our trip and gave us some tips about places to eat and stay in Valle. Also a plus was that they did the tasting in a air conditioned space. It was over 100F that day, and this was the only place we went to that had air conditioning. Sadly, the wine was not good at all. Some of it was interesting, like the natural wine that is unfiltered and unaged, but not anything I would want to drink again. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Unique vineyard that also specializes natural wines. Some of the natural wines taste like kombucha while others are too pungent for my taste. Their Big Blend is noteworthy but rest of the wines does not stand out to me. Service is attentive and excellent. There is a fantastic seafood food truck restaurant outside Vena Cava called Troika, and it is a must when you visit Vena Cava. Make sure to reserve in advance. I don't believe they take walk ins. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Such a rad winery! There's a tiny lake you can look out at as you munch on delicious bites (really quite an eclectic menu, more than just cheese and nuts like some of the wineries) and they were playing ambient music and the wine was nice and it was just a lovely time. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

our wine tour driver suggested we make a reservation for this place as it gets busy. the food truck and area to eat looks inviting. staff friendly and wine tasty. read more

We really enjoyed their natural wines. What a new experience. Highly recommend this place.

By far my current favorite winery in this region. 3 trips to Valle de Guadalupe so far... this has taken the #1 spot on my list (followed by Adobe and Montefiori) why? well predominantly i really like the wine here... why else? great customer service. they took time to talk about the wines. loved the wine tasting room. the outside patio area/bar/food truck all were well kept and inviting (next time i will be sure to spend some time out here). my kids chose to hang outside while we wine tasted and they interacted with the dogs and the ducks and said that it was their favorite place of the day. looking forward to a return visit...and taste the bubbles ... the wine tasting we had ...did not include bubbles...that's only for the elevated tasting ($35) and is by reservation only for groups of 6 (?) or more. I guess the other option is to buy a bottle and enjoy it on their grounds. I hear the food truck (troika) is fabulous! read more

After hearing of wineries in Valle de Guadalupe, we finally got to visit. This was our first winery. We were there on a weekday (we do not like weekend crowds anywhere). Our host (can't remember his name, but the young-ish guy with the blue eyes) was extremely knowledgeable. It was almost like having our one-on-one with explaining the different wines they have. We tasted their Sav Blanc and it was great and refreshing (served cold, not like other places), their GSM, the Mescla Chica (2nd favorite), Phil's Blend, Reserva (my favorite), Brute Rose. We also got to taste the Ambar Reserva Natural. The Natural are organic and were described as the way the Romans would have made their wine. No preservatives. I could see myself liking the Natural wines more as more wineries make them. (It's gonna be the next hipster thing.) I have visited Napa and El Paso de Robles countless times and my palate knows what it likes. The wines here are young and unique to the soil of this land. Don't expect Napa status..... yet. They're on the right path. Overall, we had a great time with a knowledgeable host explaining all their wines. He let us the the Natural wine even though it was not in our tasting. Highly recommend this place while visiting Valle de Guadalupe. FYI, must have reservations to go past the gate. read more

My favorite winery in el Valle! Great wine but even better staff. Juan is a very knowledgeable person who ultimately makes your experience there a wonderful one. Highly recommend this winery! read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

It's cool that you enter into the hillside, but imo, that's the coolest thing... Okay it was cool that we were able to compare and contrast the natural wines to the conventional wines. The only problem was that the wines themselves were not great... I don't know if we were served old wine or if the wine was just not great, but I was sad I went here. It's an opportunity cost because there are so many other vineyards I could have gone to. read more

Cute winery that my boyfriend and I came to on my birthday weekend. We did the basic tasting which was $25 USD and came with 4 pours. Highly recommend a reservation as there is a gatekeeper that most likely wouldn't let you on the property without one. The guy that we were assigned to for tasting gave us an additional pour of the natural wine and a small additional sample of one of the wines we tasted (phil's blend) as he wanted us to compare the difference between a bottle opened an hour ago vs just now. He was extremely knowledgeable in the history, production, overall background of the Valle, and tasting notes. We enjoyed our time here in the tasting cave which is air conditioned and had a cute ambiance being surrounded by wine barrels and chandeliers. Would definitely recommend for first-timers in the Valle :) read more

My boyfriend and I had a wonderful wine tasting experience here yesterday! The woman providing the tasting was very knowledgeable and accommodating. The natural wine was my fav! We'll definitely be back read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - The tasting room - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Every piece is brilliant! From bow to stern, port to starboard, you just feel the love the founder and staff have placed into this mighty ship. From the moment you drive up and see the nutty hose awnings and upside down boats, you just know this is going to be special. Don't even get me started on the wine. While the whole lineup was great, we ended up taking home the 2016 Sauv Blanc 2014 Tempranillo. Ridiculously flavorful. Yeah, the wait for your tasting might take a while, but once you're in, you'll forget about the angst in seconds. Well worth the time. Loved the unique beauty of this place and their fantastic wine. Salud! read more

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Fernanda was such an incredible host, she is not only incredibly knowledgeable but passionate about what she does. We did the premium natural wine tasting which was great, if you haven't tasted natural wines before there is a different finish to it, almost sour like kombucha but unique and lovely. If that's not your thing than stick to the basic tasting. We loved learning tons about natural wines and the story of Vena Cava. Will definitely be back at our next trip to the Valle. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

I truly enjoyed my experience at this winery. Beautiful views! Dirt roads that lead to the vineyard are quite rough! Now, at the wine tasting We had the "classic" round which included the following: Sauvignon blanc, rosé, Cabernet, red blend (in that order). Of the 4, my favorite was the last one--the red blend!! The cost was $20. A bottle from the winery will cost you $400-600 pesos depending on what you get. Disclaimer: I am not a wine connoisseur but the red blend had delicious notes of peach and strawberry (was informed by the garrulous stranger wine mate )-- fantastic! Did not have any food from the food truck but heard it was just "okay" from others there at the wine tasting. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Fernanda is the best! - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Had an amazing time! Wine was great. Are server was very knowledgeable. Will definitely be back!

We really enjoyed our time here. A great time with some great wines and a knowledgeable employee guiding us.

Getting here on the unpaved dirt road was a bit of a challenge but definitely well worth it. I recommend filling up w Troika food truck food under the shaded patio area before your tasting. The winery buildings are industrial cool and the staff is friendly and accommodating. We were happy to discover delicious wines and definitely will put VC on the top of our list! read more

Vena cava from my point of view, has been one of my favorite places in terms of the quality and authenticity of the wines and what represents that place. I took my clients there yesterday, first I was surprised that my reservation had not been registered and they confirmed me on the same day and with a different schedule. Second, arriving at the tasting room around 4:45 pm, there were two workers, one of them having fun and drinking with a group without noticing our existence, and another giving preference to a couple next to us without even saying good afternoon. I was upset at that point because we still wait for 25 minutes and no one served to us, so i call another worker to see if he probably can help me. Finally we left somewhat annoyed by the wait in the tasting room without doing the tasting towards the troika, one of my clients asked for the menu (because there was no QR code on our table) and I heard how a worker answered in a rude way "look for it yourself" It is very disappointing how vena cava lost its quality of service, I will not return for a long time, however, it does not change my opinion that the wines there are exquisite and unique, my respects to Mr. Phil Gregory read more

We loved our visit to Vena Cava, was a unique winery! The repurposed building elements and use of the ship hulls to create wine caves had me most impressed. It speaks to the vibe the entire Valle de Guadalupe has, being close to the ocean, fishing, the land, using what is sustainable. From the lake, food truck and the outdoor seating area, it was such an eclectic mix of textures and design, I was truly impressed. We all seriously enjoyed our wine tasting in the cave, very affordable in price and nice and cool inside. Our tasting expert gave us thorough information and history on all of the wines we tasted and how they varied because of ecological features of the land in the Valle, it was fantastic. Such a treat, so unique, off the beaten path, but completely worth a stop to Vena Cava... and you gotta love a winery doggie too! read more

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The Husband and I took a trip to Valle de Guadalupe in June for our anniversary. Vena Cava was our first stop. The wine tastings are $15 per person and they have them every hour starting at 11 am. We arrived just in time for the noon tasting. We were grouped with 2 couples from San Diego. The roof of the tasting room is an upside down boat. You come to realize that at Vena Cava they like to repurpose things and use them in their design and decor. The walls of the tasting room are lined with rows and rows of stacked wine barrels. And the damp dirt smell reminds me of the adobe house my grandparents used to live in. I was so excited to be here that I can't remember how many wines we tried or what kinds. I do remember trying the tempranillo and rosé. We purchased a bottle of the Big Blend and then headed outside to the patio area for lunch from Troika. You can order wine by the glass or beer from Wendlandt Cerveceria. The Husband and I enjoyed some beer and great music while we waited for Troika to open (1 pm). Overall Vena Cava gives off a very chill vibe. I could have just sat in the patio area all afternoon, sipping on wine and snacking on food and been 100% happy. Driving tip: Don't google map their address or the directions will take you to the back of the property. Instead google map the directions for Corazon De Tierra which is next door and on the same property. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Selfie inside the tasting room. - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

Valle De Guadalupe is a boutique wine region - with most of the wineries producing small batches focused on sustainability practices. The region also has experienced a boom in just the past decade with experienced vintners, dairy farmers producing small batches of cheese and several dozen new luxurious B&B's and restaurants. On my last trip there, I was told that there are now 150+ wineries where just 10 years ago there were only a dozen or so. At Vena Cava winery, British expats Eileen and Phil Gregory are busy with their dream winery -- constructed with reclaimed materials from boats complete with hulls and port windows. They also run a 6-room B&B called La Villa del Valle where you'd swear you were transported to Tuscany with its arched walkways and views overlooking vineyards in the valley. It's our favorite spot in the valley. What amazes me is the lack of knowledge about area. I hate to say hidden gem, but it really is! I imagine it's something like Sonoma back in the day before all the weekend warrior techies moved to the bay area. Our personal favorite is their cava (that we get every time). If you're imagining cheap-o wine in Mexican wine country, think again. Many of the wineries charge $30+ US dollars a bottle. But the quality is overall very high. If you're a bit frugal like me, deals can be found. So cheers and drink up! read more

Organic wines are not to everyone's taste, but that's usually because you haven't tasted them. So take the plunge. Make a reservation. Wear a warm sweater, even on a hot day (the cave is chilly). Ask for Gigi, if you are a native speaker of English. And make a plan to dine at Troika while you are at Vena Cava. Be prepared for the rough road to get to VC. Our GPS said it would take 10 minutes to drive there, also known as nearly 30. We did not want to break our axle. But it was worth the careful drive...every bit of it! read more

I have been to several wineries in Valle de Guadalupe and have loved them all. This one fell short for me - we chose the $20 mix tasting (choice of red, white or mix). Unfortunately, we did not really enjoy the wines and our host left us. Not the usual welcoming atmosphere I've encountered at other wineries in the areas. This winery didn't make the list as a must stop for us. read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Tasting room - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

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Great location. Amazing views. Very good appetizers highly recommended for some wine and food

I hope the owner Phil sees this review, that's why i gave it one star and will take it down when he sees. I've tried emailing..our second time visiting vena cava was Tues Dec 28th at 4pm. We loved this place the first time. I understand covid has hit alot of businesses hard and my heart breaks for that. I wouldn't review poorly based off that. We Loved the employee that did the first part of our tasting- he was fantastic. Lots of info, helped us source some of the Phil blend we have been searching for. Then the manager came over, before he came over we watched him put $ up his sleeve and again when we were leaving. He wasn't nice and very shady and an owner should know about what he is doing. Best of luck to this place. Please bring back your restaurant read more

We had a wonderful Covid safe wine tasting today with our wine host, Fernanda, who was not only informative but also friendly and warm. I would highly recommend requesting her to be your tasting guide! read more

Vena Cava Vinícola - Wineries Near Me - Guadalupe, BCN

Great bold reds and some pretty good bubbly; this is one of the only places in VDG that serves Sparking Wine/Champagne/Espumoso. This place had been on my list for a while, that upside down boat they use as the roof to their tasting room look amazing, I was excited for the tastings and the food outside at Troika. This place has a very mellow vibe, we ran into a lot more locals than tourists. The tasting fee is on the expensive side but it looks like more and more tasting rooms are starting to follow the same pattern. I definitely enjoyed The Big Blend and their bubbly. read more

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