Santo Tomas Valley
While Mexico may not be the first country which you think of for wine, it was the first country in North America to make wine!
Bodegas Santo Tomás is located in the original wine region of Baja and is the oldest winery in Baja California and the second oldest in Mexico. The winery was founded in 1888 by Fracisco Adonegui of Italy and Miguel Olmart of Spain. It was named after the mission in the area, Misión Santo Tomás de Aquino. It was a Dominican mission and the original mission was founded on April 24, 1791. This grand valley has natural springs and is home to alder, willow, oak and poplar trees. The mission cultivated wheat, olives, beans, gnarly, and most importantly- grapes on the 80 to 178 hectares (200 to 450 acres). All of this flora contributes to the unique flavors of their wines.
In addition, Santo Tomas claims some of the oldest vines in the region and they are still producing after eighty years..Old vines drive their roots deep into the earth, requiring less water and are known to produce a very high quality and intensely flavorful grape.
The tasting room, nestled between towering eucalyptus trees , is separate from the main winery, which was built in the 1980’s. You will have experiences that go from the vines, through the vineyard that surrounds the winery, to the senses, you will love it!
Bodegas de Santo Tomás is also the only winery that has an Enotourism tour with academic recognition, this is granted by the Universidad Autonoma de Baja California.
FROM THE BORDER TO…….
8:00am-8:40am: Meet your bilingual guides at your hotel or at the designated meeting spot: The Jack in the Box, 721 E. San Ysidro Blvd, San Ysidro, California on the US side of the US-Mexico border. This is the San Diego to Tijuana border crossing which is open currently. It’s an easy drive to the meeting point or take public transportation (San Diego Trolley), taxi, Lyft or Uber. We offer customized pick up and drop off for an additional fee.*
Please have your Passport and required documents for each guest.
9:00am-10:00am: Stop at Our Rosarito Beach Hidey Hole for Carne Asada tacos.
10:00am-11:00am: Take in the breathtaking vista at La Mirador ViewPoint, bathroom break if needed.
11:30-12:30pm: Stop in Ensenada for the best Fish and Shrimp Tacos!
1:30pm: Arrive at Santo Tomas Valley, it is absolutely beautiful, enjoy!
2:00pm- 4:00pm: We will be tasting this area’s famous wines, a tour of the grounds along with an introduction to Santo Tomas and it’s rich history. You will be amazed!
4:00pm -6:00pm. Bummer, we have to get going. Make our way back to the border, enjoy the ride and a snack and bathroom break along the way
6:00-6:30pm: After clearing U.S. Immigration and Customs, we will walk back to your car parked in San Ysidro, California, or catch the San Diego Trolley, taxi, or Uber (while most of our groups usually experience just 10-20 minute crossing times, your arrival time in San Ysidro is highly dependent on the actual border wait time on the day of your tour, which may vary – SP has no ability to affect actual border wait times).
*Hotel, B&B, Residence or Central Location pick up and drop off with in San Diego is available for an additional fee per person and location.
**For our ESL students this will be an English only Excursion so you may better your skills!
*This is a sample itinerary; after paying your affirmed invoice for the full cost of your tour (see details below), you will receive an email with your actual itinerary including any customizations you have requested and links to the boutique wineries and restaurants you will visit on tour. Student Planet will select the wineries and restaurants for your itinerary, noting that we only work with Mexico’s top boutique wineries and the region’s best ocean and farm-to-table restaurants. Specific vendor requests (wineries, restaurants, venues, etc.) cannot be guaranteed, however we will make reasonable attempts to fulfill your reasonable requests – additional costs may apply for some vendors – inquire for details and pricing via the booking form. Please understand that our winery and dining partners are independent businesses and we ultimately have no control over their availability, cancellations, and other inconveniences imposed by them. We work with most of the top wineries, restaurants, and venues in the Region, and if we must substitute a vendor or vendors on your itinerary, the overall quality of your experience will not be affected.
