Valle de Guadalupe: The Backyard Vintners
Andrée and Carlos have been growing grapes at their house in Valle de Guadalupe, Baja California for the last two decades. The wine is for their own consumption and they’ve experimented with cabernet sauvignon, tempranillo, sangiovese, merlot and the occasional white varietals.
To the left is their backyard on September 6, 2022, the night before the harvest begins. Carlos is an astronomer by training, specializing in star formation. He and Andrée have experimented with different varietals in community with several neighboring residential vineyards on the perimeter of the valley. Their experience reflects the ongoing changes in our climate and ecosystem on an individual level.
Tempranillo grapes at sunrise on the first day of the harvest. Heavy fog in August damaged this year’s total yield. Andrée noted that the region, much like California to the north, is experiencing more unpredictable weather events than in previous years.
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A billboard for the Corona del Valle winery sits just beyond the vineyard on highway MX3. It beckons, “We’re waiting for you!” Andrée said that development of the valley, including boutique hotels and other tourist amenities, has stretched the water resources that neighbors must share. Their vineyard's irrigation system draws from two local wells.
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Lala monitors the pressed grapes, removing stems and leaves when they slip through. Stems are separated from the grapes using an Enoveta pneumatic press.
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Bottles from earlier harvests sit in the storage unit with tubs approximately five feet cubed in the foreground fermenting this year’s harvest.
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