Wineries in Mexico: 3 Day Wine Tasting Itinerary in Querétaro
There are some amazing wineries in Mexico that you should add to your itinerary, especially if you are already planning a trip to Querétaro. Querétaro is a state in Mexico located about 3 hours away from Mexico City. The region is known for its sparkling wines and its red wines. My friend Rose and I recently went on a three-day trip to Querétaro to taste wine and explore a few different cities. Here’s everything you need to know to plan your own three-day wine-tasting trip to Querétaro.
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How to Get to Querétaro from Mexico City
By Bla Bla Car
To get to Querétaro, my friend and I decided to use Bla Bla Car. Bla Bla Car is a carpooling app that lets you connect with drivers who are already going on trips to the areas you want to visit. You can browse through a list of drivers going from your city to the city you want to go to and pick the one with the best price.
By Bus
You can easily book buses from Mexico City to Querétaro by clicking here. Bla Bla Car did end up being cheaper for us but it all depends on what people on Bla Bla choose to charge, and the time of the year that you go too.
By Car
There are two routes you can take to get to Querétaro by car. One of them gets you there in 2 hours and 45 minutes, but you have to pay to drive through tolls. The other route takes 3 hours and 25 minutes but has no tolls. You can search for rental cars in Mexico City here.
Day 1: Santiago de Querétaro
Food in Querétaro: Chilaquiles, Chocolate and Tamales
We arrived in Santiago de Querétaro in the early afternoon on a Saturday. Even though the main idea of our weekend was to go to some nearby wineries, we decided to spend our first day exploring Querétaro’s capital. Our first stop was to get brunch at a super-cute restaurant called Bisquets Querétaro. We had Chilaquiles and Huevos a la Mexicana while enjoying the art in the restaurant.
We wandered through the city occasionally stopping at shops to buy hats, sunglasses, and accessories. While doing this, we stumbled upon a chocolatería called La Fabrica de Chocolate. We shared some churros and had some really delicious hot cocoa.
I’d highly recommend checking out La Fabrica de Chocolate when you visit Santiago de Querétaro. For dinner, we ate at Super Tamales Los Arcos which is another spot I’d recommend. If you’re vegetarian like me, then try one of the sweet or ‘dulce’ tamales. They’re bright pink and sugary, so they’re more like a dessert tamal instead of savory ones.
Evening Bike Tour
During the day we had seen a long bicycle with many seats on it that did bike tours around the city. We asked the tour operator what times the tours left and we were told that there was one at 9 pm. We decided that we wanted to do a night tour. So, at 9 pm we showed up to begin our bike tour with Bici-Train (Bike Train). The tour was super fun, we pedaled in unison and sang songs and chants the whole way that the guide taught us. It was a really fun way to get a feel for the city and to learn where everything was located. Plus the 25-minute tour only cost $2 CAD (that’s like $1.30 USD).
Day 2: Bernal & Mexican Wine
El Mezquite Restaurante & the Peña de Bernal
On our second day we decided to bus to Bernal and from there, take public transport to visit the Finca Sala Vive Winery by Freixenet. Our first stop when we arrived in the small town of Bernal, was to get breakfast. We stopped at El Mezquite Restaurante Bernal which had an incredible view of the Peña de Bernal. The Peña de Bernal is one of the tallest monoliths in the world! The restaurant’s food was also super tasty.
Related activity: From Queretaro: Rock Climbing in Peña Bernal for Beginners
Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet
After wandering around Bernal for a bit, we headed off to Finca Sala Vive by Freixenet. Normally if you book a winery tour it can cost anywhere from $20 to $50 more than if you choose to get to the winery by public transport. For this reason, we chose to travel by public transport for our entire weekend.
However, if you prefer guided tours, this tour goes to a winery and a cidery and is quite affordable compared to other tours on the market.
We arrived at Finca Sala Vive right in time to join a tour that was starting at noon. We got tickets, stood in line for a bit, and then our tour began. There are options at Finca Sala Vive to go on English or Spanish tours, but we chose a Spanish one.
The tour took us in to see where the wine gets bottled as well as where the wine is held in wooden barrels to mature. We also learned about how different kinds of wine are made and how ‘cava’ (the kind of sparkling wine that they make) is also made in Spain. We learned that it’s basically champagne but can’t be called champagne because it’s not from Champagne, France and it’s made from different grapes.
The tour also came with a complimentary glass of sparkling wine once we were done looking at the cellars. After the tour, we retreated to a small courtyard in the center of the winery. There was a beautiful fountain there and a wine bar.
At the wine bar, we bought a few more wines by the glass to enjoy in the shade. There were also a few booths selling different foods as well. We bought goat cheese and crackers from one booth to go with our wines and it was delicious!
Chocolate in Bernal
After our tour, we headed back to Bernal. In Bernal, while we were waiting for our next bus, we found a chocolate shop filled with delicious milky chocolates. The chocolate shop was called Xocoles, and I would highly recommend trying the white chocolate as well as the small milk chocolates filled with tequila.
Arabic Tacos in Querétaro
When we arrived back in Santiago de Querétaro we decided to find someplace to grab dinner. We ended up eating the most delicious Arabic Tacos at Tacos Arabes Jair Ala. They even had a few veggie options which were perfect for me! Arabic Tacos are a little different from traditional tacos, in that the ‘tortilla’ is actually a type of thick Arabic flatbread.
Day 3: Tequisquiapan & Wine
On our third day in Queretaro, we took public transport once again to the small town of Tequisquiapan. Tequisquiapan, or ‘Tequis’ as it’s called among locals, is absolutely gorgeous. There are gorgeous bright flowers cascading off tons of colorful buildings and plenty of papel picado in some streets.
We also saw the monument that represents the Heart of Mexico since Tequisquiapan is located in the center of the country, as well as the main center with a big sign that said ‘Tequis’ along with a pink church.
Breakfast, Chocolate & Books in Tequisquiapan
We started off our morning in Tequisquiapan by getting breakfast sandwiches, pecan tarts, coffee, and hot cocoa at Chocolate El Molinillo. This is a cafe that I would highly recommend visiting on your trip to Tequisquiapan. Afterward, we enjoyed browsing in a cute bookshop-cafe called Rulfo Librería, Galería y Cafe.
Viñedos Los Rosales
Next on our itinerary was to check out two more wineries. We started off by taking a taxi to Viñedos Los Rosales. This winery is known for its sweet red wines, as opposed to the sparkling wines we had tried the day before. I am a huge lover of sweet wines so I loved this winery. I tried the semi-sweet red wine they had and it was super sweet. We had the option to go on a winery tour as well as tasting some wines, but we chose to just lounge in the sun of the vineyard with our wines.
Viñedos La Redonda
After having a glass at Viñedos Los Rosales, we took another taxi to Viñedos La Redonda. This one was located quite close to Bernal and a bit farther from Tequisquiapan. Vinedos La Redonda was also known for its sweet red wines. However, along with trying some sweet reds we also chose to taste some white and rosé wines as well. There honestly wasn’t a single wine on our entire trip that I didn’t enjoy. Even if you don’t like sweeter wines, both Vinedos Los Rosales and La Redonda have drier wines you can taste instead.
Back to Mexico City by Bla Bla Car
We got back to Santiago de Querétaro a bit late on our last evening. We grabbed some food and then took another Bla Bla Car back to Mexico City. If you or someone you know is planning a trip to taste Mexican wine in Querétaro then be sure to share and save this article below on Pinterest! Cheers!
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