Villa Bella…a hidden treasure in the hills of La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, at the beautiful and rapidly developing Riviera Nayarit located in Banderas Bay, one of the biggest and most beautiful bays in the world!
Villa Bella Bed & Breakfast has 5 rooms, all decorated in a different style but always showing off the beauty of Mexican art crafts hand made by talented artists, you’ll enjoy breath taking views in the privacy of each room and the main areas, always taken care by the the typical friendly, Mexican service of the staff. A place that will give you a very relaxing feeling, enjoying the surrounding: the mountains of La Cruz town offering you amazing views, the beautiful, luscious garden, the infinity pool, the song of the birds and much more!

First the formal description so you understand a bit more about them, then inside, my own experience and the purpose of this note:

The Huichol or Wixáritari are an indigenous ethnic group of western central Mexico, living in the Sierra Madre Occidental range in the Mexican states of Nayarit, Jalisco, Zacatecas, and Durango. They are best known Huichol, however, they refer to themselves as Wixáritari  “the people”  in their native language. The adjectival form of Wixáritari and name for their own language is Wixárika.

The craftsmanship of the Huichol includes embroidery, beadwork, sombreros (hats), archery equipment, prayer arrows, and weaving, as well as “cuchuries”, woven or embroidered bags.

Their religion consists of four principal deities, the trinity of Corn, Blue Deer and Peyote, and the eagle, all descended from their Sun God, “Tao Jreeku”. The Shaman is named Maraakame . Most Huichols retain the traditional beliefs and are resistant to change.

In traditional Huichol communities, an important ritual artefact is the nieli’ka: a small square or round tablet with a hole in the center covered on one or both sides with a mixture of beeswax and pine resin into which threads of yarn are pressed. Nieli’kas are found in most Huichol sacred places such as house shrines (xiriki), temples, springs and caves.

In the past thirty years, about four thousand Huichols have migrated to cities, primarily Tepic, Nayarit, Guadalajara and Mexico City. It is these urbanized Huichols who have drawn attention to their rich culture through their art. To preserve their ancient beliefs they have begun making detailed and elaborate yarn paintings, a development and modernization of the nieli’ka.

Viñas Pijoan started as a hobby, a desire to make wine and share it with family and friends, but Pau Pijoan, a Catalan  settled in México,  made a hit with his hobby and had no choice than to keep it going and growing!!!

I visited this winery a little while ago and i was very well impressed, not only for the quality of the wines, but also for the personality of Pau, the owner and winemaker. But most of all, i was impressed to see the love of this man for his family and his wines; such love that as a tribute to the women of his family, each wine have their names.

“At Viña de Liceaga, we capture the magic of the vineyard through our selected wines, so you can enjoy…México´s fine Wine”

Hugo D´Acosta, one of the star winemakers of Ensenada started Paralelo Winery thinking on the people that wanted to make it´s own wine.

It was born as a property/partnership project that allowed people to participate directly in the wine industry and experiment what it is to be part of it.

The name Paralelo is used because it´s a Parallel project to Casa de Piedra, the other winery from Hugo D´Acosta; it uses the same varietals, the same assemblage, but at the same time it´s completely different. What makes it different? The essence of the valley, each peace of land transmits to the wine it´s own characteristics: the terroir.

Now Paralelo belongs to a group of enthusiastic ambassadors of the Mexican Wines.

If you have the chance to visit Ensenada, you have to visit the vineyards of Bibayoff, a 35 Hectares vineyards of Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Nebbiolo and Moscatel. Of those 35, only 15 are used to make 800 bottles per year of their artisan wines, hand picked, carefully taken care of and hand labeled. The rest is sold to provide other wineries or to new wine projects.
David Bibayoff, the owner of this winery, is a descendant of the founders of the first Russian colony in México, established in Ensenada in 1906. This families started to produce their own wines in the 30´s, many years later him and his sons keep the family tradition alive but with modern wine making techniques.


Wonderful, fun, warm, friendly hosts; David Bibayoff and his family welcome you in a beautiful farm, that has a small museum of Russian traditions and a tasting room where you can watch how their wines are hand labeled.

Surrounded by huge fruit trees and endless lines of vines, “Toros Pintos” farm is a place where many of the producers, wine makers and friends from the valley get together to exchange experiences and laughs around a bottle of good wine (or more!), hosted by the friendly personality of the owner, Mr. David Bibayoff.

If you go visit this winery, don’t forget to buy a bottle of their wonderful Moscatel, unique in México!

Moscatel
100% Moscatel grapes, a yellow golden color with bronze touch, in the nose you´ll get dry fruits with a light species end, in the mouth the taste is sweet, balanced with dry fruits tastes. Pair it with Brie cheese and fruit pies.
Cabernet Sauvignon 2005
100% Cabernet Sauvignon, Violet Reddish with brick colors. In nose you will get aromas of blackberries, prunes, tobacco, woods and species. In mouth you´ll get a very structured wine with ripped tannins, dry fruits and a medium but nice end. Pair it with fine steaks, cheeses and bread.
Nebbiolo 2005
100% Nebbiolo, a dark red with violet colors. In nose you will get aromas of prunes, figs, chocolate and tobacco with a touch of species. In mouth you´ll find a very structured wine with firm tannins and a long, silky textured end. Pair it with Mole Oaxaqueño or Lamb ribs in chocolate sauce.
Cabernet - Zinfandel 2000
80% Cabernet Sauvignon and 20% Zinfandel, a red pomegranate wine with brick colors. In nose you´ll get strawberry marmalade, dry fruits, wet sand and leather. In mouth it´s a wine with good acidity and a fruity taste. Pair it with charcutery, cheeses and aged breads.

No doubt that the mix of different cultures settled in Baja California gives it a very very interesting touch and a visit to Bibayoff winery is definitely a must when you go to the wine route in México.
And as the Bibayoff´s say: “Save water, drink wine” !

Salud…and Viva México!!

Are you tired or stressed, need vacations and you still don’t know where to go?
Do you have a celebration?…anniversary, birthday, wedding, honey moon…or something like that?
Are you just feeling romantic and want to share some private, sexy moments with your loved one?
You want to spend some days with your family in paradise?

Or just want to make sure that México is still the most amazing place for vacations and  Mexicans  are the the most friendly people in the world?

Come enjoy a weekend away in Punta Mita in the Riviera Nayarit, México!

San Rafael is a familiar winery, installed in Ojos Negros Valley, 38 km from Ensenada, at 820m altitude.
Here the weather is very extreme, but the soil is great and the height and weather conditions predominating are relevant for the quality of the grapes.
All this elements bring fruits with intense tannins and well equilibrated levels of sugar and acidity.

What makes this producers different from the rest? and why i get all enthusiastic when i speak about this winery? Because they are believers, they dared to dream and go for it in a valley where nobody could imagine they could produce anything.

The name Xitomatl  comes from the Nahuatl name for tomato. The great contribution from the Aztecs to the world.
Mexican cuisine has evolutioned since its pre Hispanic roots, adding elements brought from the new world, fhe conquer of Spain and the new influences, such as Mediterranean, Continentals, Caribbean and Oriental.

Monte Xanic

Proudly Mexican, this brand is well positioned in the Premium market, producing wines of consistent quality.
“Xanic” name is originated from the Cora Indians, that continue to inhabit parts of Nayarit (the state where i was born, soon will talk about it) on México´s Pacific Coast and it means “Flower which blooms after the first rain”

20 years have passed since Monte Xanic started producing wines in a time where many others were closing their doors for the flood of low cost wines and modest quality. This winery took the challenge and yes they really took it to the next level!!