Ensenada: Festival de Las Conchas y Vino Nuevo 2015
As we walked down the stone paved pathway of the Hotel Coral & Marina in Ensenada, the marina filled with yachts greeted us, and I was soon washed over with memories of my frequent childhood visits there. The sea seemed to be showing off, sparkling brighter than usual, with a welcomed crisp breeze blowing through the trees. More on our lovely stay at the Hotel Coral & Marina to come! Giovanni pointed out all of the big boats, of course not without noticing the park with big yellow slides as we headed into the entrance point of the Conchas y Vinos festival. Wine glasses in hand, and the intoxicating aromas of charcoal grills burning away, soon to be filled with fresh oysters set the stage for a beautiful Spring day. The right way to kick off the upcoming season! What is most often called, “One of the best festivals in the region,” by local chefs and winemakers, is their chance to represent their restaurants and wineries with the region’s bounty and ingredients. Here you will get the chance to taste new wines, and chat to the winemakers about what they have in store for the year. Chefs give little sneak peeks to both their year round restaurants, and upcoming seasonal campestres.
What is most often called, “One of the best festivals in the region,” by local chefs and winemakers
We had the chance to taste some excellent little bites from both raw and grilled oysters to mussel ceviche, and octopus tostadas. Refreshing glasses of crisp whites and rosés from Las Nubes and Lechuza wineries, and the dearly loved sparkling wine from Vena Cava were the perfect accompaniment to the warm seafood studded afternoon. Who doesn’t love tostadas piled high with some of the freshest mariscos, and slurping down oysters in between sips of wine?
I held hands with Giovanni, and Camila snuggled up close to me in our Ergo carrier as we walked through the festival. I knew that it was soon to become one of our fondest memories from the weekend. I thrive off of making memories with my own little family, and the food festivals and travel experiences in Baja are high on the list. An overall great vibe with music playing in the background, catching up with friends that we don’t see nearly enough, and just breathing in the sweet salty air makes for a more than ideal way to spend a Sunday.
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