female announcer: "Fresh Glass" is brought to you by Visit California.

University of California.

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For a complete list of financial contributors, visit aptonline.org Cassandra: On this episode of "Fresh Glass."

Ray Ochoa: Let's get the party started!

Cassandra: I'm down south, hanging out with the Ochoa family, founders of Baja Wine and Dine Tours.

Ray: You have to love what you do, and I love this.

I love making people happy.

Cassandra: They're taking me on a journey to experience the food, libations, and majestic scenery of Baja California.

Evelyn Ochoa: [speaking in Spanish] Cheers.

Cassandra: Join me and my friends on this adventure.

all: This is "Fresh Glass."

male: Cheers!

Cassandra: I'm Cassandra Schaeg, entrepreneur, advocate, and enthusiast.

Food, beverage, and entrepreneurship are growing, with diverse innovators creating brands and making a name for themselves.

both: We are the McBride Sisters.

Cassandra: Join me exploring unique flavors, captivating stories, and the entrepreneurial spirit of America's tapestry.

I'm creating a space for people who look like me to share their stories and their spirits.

This is "Fresh Glass."

♪♪♪ Cassandra: Just 17 miles from San Diego, Mexico awaits.

The proximity has fostered a rich cultural exchange where San Diegans enjoy the food, music, and art of Baja California.

Ray Ochoa, known as Uncle Ray, is the life of the party and the engine behind Baja Wine and Dine Tours.

He invited me to his home to talk about his venture.

Uncle Ray!

Ray: Are we ready?

Cassandra: You can sit down.

This is your spot.

Ray: Thank you.

Thank you.

Cassandra: What are we gonna drink?

Ray: Well, today we're gonna start with Rey del Valle, which means the king of the valle, and Rey del Valle is a particular wine from Vinos Martlot in Valle de Guadalupe, and we're gonna visit them tomorrow, so we're gonna get you a little taste, get you primed up.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: Tell us where we are.

Ray: We are currently in Rosarito, south Rosarito, Baja California.

It's about 45 minutes from San Diego border, and another 45 minutes from here is Valle de Guadalupe.

So, very close, and because we're so close we do a lot of business from San Diego.

We're one of the first tour companies to offer door-to-door service from San Diego.

Cassandra: What was the catalyst behind this idea?

Ray: My wife and I actually went out to the valle and discovered that, Wow, what a hidden gem.

You know, this is amazing.

There was a neighbor of ours that had a motor home that he wasn't using, so I came up to him, I said, "Hey, let's start a wine tour company, you know, with your motor home, we'll grab some people, make it fun."

So we started going out there finding different small wineries that, unless you know where they're at, you can't find them.

Since we've been doing this for such a long time, we have built relationships, partnerships with winemakers, hotels, restaurants.

We treat people the way we wanna be treated when we're on vacation, so that's how we built the company.

Our clients started writing reviews, raving of how great our service was and--Uncle Ray, it, started calling me Uncle Ray, so.

Cassandra: I'm calling you Uncle Ray.

Ray: You can call me Uncle Ray.

After a while, your clients or customers, whatever you wanna call them, become friends because we treat them like family.

Cassandra: Tell me about entrepreneurship.

Ray: It doesn't come easy, you know.

It's like anything else.

You're gonna--the harder you work, the more you put into it, the more you're gonna get out of it, you know.

And you have to have a passion.

You have to love what you do, you have to love--and I love this.

I mean, I love making people happy, you know.

Cassandra: If I had your job, I wouldn't have a worry in the world, I'll tell you.

I'd make everybody happy.

Ray: Yeah, we get to enjoy good wine all day long and amazing food and the views.

We haven't even talked about the views in the valle, man.

Some of these winers up on the hill you see down there and, like--spectacular, spectacular.

So we have a lot to offer.

Cassandra: How long have you lived out here?

Ray: I've been here 11 years.

I took early retirement and I either wanted to live in Costa Rica or here in Baja.

And since I have three adult children and five grandchildren, this was the obvious choice.

Cassandra: You know, there's a lot of people in San Diego who live out here.

I have to tell you, I'm sold.

Ray: We have a lot of expats.

We have a lot of Americans coming here.

It's a lower pace, you know, than the US, and you get more value.

You get more for your money, you know.

You--food is less, housing is less.

Not gasoline.

Gasoline, we pay a little more than you guys do on gas, so I can't brag about the gas station.

Cassandra: It's a balance.

Ray: It's more relaxed, even though people are concerned, you know, of the unsafety of Mexico, but that's not true.

Cassandra: I'll tell you, this is calm.

I don't think there's any scene that can beat this view.

Ray: Yes, I'm blessed, you know.

This is--I wake up to this every day and I'm very fortunate.

I love it down here.

Cassandra: So you say you and your wife are involved in the business.

Ray: Well, this is a family business.

It's my wife and I, my son Ray and his wife, Gina, who have been instrumental.

They're basically our partners.

It's a family-run business.

And right now we're in--we're training our grandson, who's six years old, to be a future driver.

And at 12, you can drive here in Mexico, so you know, he's halfway-- Cassandra: You can?

Ray: No!

Cassandra: Oh, I was like, wait, what, at 12?

Ray: Gotcha!

Cassandra: And you're related to some dear friends of mine.

Ray: Yes, we have some nieces that we love to pieces.

Cassandra: You know, it made sense.

Tara and Mirera were featured in season one, and when she said, "My uncle does tours in Baja," I was like, "Call uncle up and see if we can make this happen."

Ray: No, this is--thank you.

Thank you for coming out here.

Cassandra: No, no, thank you.

So what's in store?

We're hanging out all weekend.

Ray: Tomorrow we'll be visiting Vinos Martlot.

After that, we're gonna have a lunch at the famous Fauna.

They are the number one restaurant in Mexico.

Cassandra: Thank you for the lovely invitation and creating a magical experience while I'm here.

Ray: Well, you're welcome.

It's what we do.

Cassandra: Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Cassandra: Valle de Guadalupe is the country's premier wine region.

Dubbed as the "Napa of Mexico," the valley's stunning landscapes of rolling hills, vineyards, and burgeoning culinary scene brings its vibrant culture to life.

Ray: Welcome aboard, everybody.

Let's get the party started!

Cassandra: Vinos Martlot is my first stop, where winemaker Claudia Melchum brings her Italian wine making to the valle.

Claudia Melchum: Hi, welcome.

Cassandra: How are you?

Claudia: Hi, nice to have you here in Vinos Martlot.

Cassandra: What's beautiful about this sprawling 10 acre property is the attention to detail, artwork, and welcoming vibe.

Claudia lives on the property, and wine lovers can stay for a weekend in one of her two suites overlooking the valle.

There's also a wine cave where we sat down for a private tasting.

Cassandra: Tell me a little bit about this property.

It's huge.

Claudia: This is a magic place with all these stones.

I make all this property, respecting all the nature.

Cassandra: So you built around all--.

Claudia: We--yes.

And this temperature here inside, it's natural because we have all these stones.

Ray: When they first bought it, it was just a hill, and their vision was to create this winery but make it earth friendly.

They wanted to keep the natural ambiance of the location, and they did a wonderful job.

Everybody that comes to the winery is fascinated by the view, the landscape, and the architect.

And she designed it all.

Cassandra: You have a lot of Italian grapes.

Claudia: Yes, because I live in Italy for 30 years and I learned to make wine with the family, Martlot, in Italy, and I learned to drink in Italy.

Cassandra: When did you fall in love with wine?

Claudia: Long, long time ago.

Very, very long, long time ago.

I was 19 when I lived to Italy.

I married in Italy, so my kids are in Italy and they still working there, and I say I need to come back to Mexico and try to make the good wines here, and that's what I do.

Cassandra: How did you meet Ray and Evelyn?

Claudia: Oh!

Cassandra: Okay, is this--do I need to take a sip?

Claudia: We're--we need another bottle.

Cassandra: Okay, wait, let me take a sip first.

female: That is history, how we met, salud.

Claudia: Salud.

Claudia: I meet many people with them.

They make Valle a good community of vino lovers.

They are very nice people here.

We need people like them.

They are my friends.

Ray: Thank you.

Cassandra: So you make 13 different wines, Italian wine making.

Claudia: The two grapes I have is the Pignolo and Barbera, the Italians.

We have Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot.

We have a Tempranillo.

Cassandra: Oh, so super earthy.

Claudia: Yes.

Cassandra: And then you're gonna--we're gonna try your rosé.

Claudia: Yes, we're going to try a Nebbiolo rosé.

Ray: So, Geraldo, can you tell us what aromas we're gonna be smelling and what to expect from this beautiful wine?

Geraldo: Okay, now, in Spanish for all the people.

Claudia: Amantequillado, like butter.

Cassandra: So they're not on the skin for a long time at all.

Geraldo: No, only press like 20 minutes, maybe less, yeah.

Okay, we like it?

Enjoy it.

all: Salud.

Claudia: "Cin cin" in Italian.

Cassandra: It is buttery in the back.

Claudia: Yeah.

Geraldo: This is a Nebbiolo 100%.

This is our grapes.

A lot of people, friends, winemakers ask me about what grape could be most traditional and favorite grapes from Mexico, and we say Nebbiolo because we make Pét-Nats, we make Nebbiolo rosé, and we make exceptional wines like Gran Bastiano.

It spent two years in French oak barrels, so it smell like tobacco, -- strong wine.

Cassandra: Why the name Gran Bastiano?

Claudia: Gran Bastiano is in honor of my father-in-law.

This was his best wine and he showed me how to do the wine.

So, it's in his name.

All this is because him.

He was my father in Italy.

I was 19-years-old when I married, and my husband was the only kid he has, so I was the girl he didn't have, so--and then he was a widow.

So I worked for two months, my husband and I, and the father-in-law.

He was strong, but he showed me many--I'm strong because him.

So, he showed me how to do the wine.

So this is for mans, not for ladies.

But we make wine.

Cassandra: Awesome.

Claudia: We drink and we make wine.

Evelyn: Here's to the women in the wine business.

Cassandra: Claudia's property is unique because it encompasses all aspects of wine making, including its challenges.

Claudia: This Nebbiolo is '19, 2019.

The one before was '17, the next one is '21.

So, not every year.

And the Chardonnay is '19.

I don't have '20, I have '22, because some years are good, some years are not.

So you don't need bad grapes to put in the barrels, new barrels.

Cassandra: That's good.

That means that you take it very serious.

Claudia: Yes, you must.

It's something that you drink that you enjoy.

Has to be good.

All the processing, we do it here.

Cassandra: You do everything from harvest-- Claudia: Everything, everything here.

It's nice to make wine.

It's hard for a woman alone.

My husband was with me all these years.

Now, I'm alone so I need to continue because this was a dream, and now I'm in the middle of this and I need to keep going.

So now I feel good because, okay, I'm making a good wine, this very small winery boutique.

Cassandra: You know what you're doing.

It's nice.

Evelyn: And what Claudia has not told you, also, is that she can also sing.

Claudia: "'O sole mio sta in fronte 'O sole mio, sta in fronte a te."

Ya, tan tan, bye bye.

Cassandra: I'll drink to that.

Claudia, thank you so much for having me.

Your property is gorgeous.

Your wine is fantastic.

Claudia: Thank you so much.

Cassandra: Thank you for everything that you do.

You're an inspiration out here.

Claudia: I'm so happy to have you here.

Thank you.

Cassandra: I'll be back.

Claudia: Promise?

Cassandra: Promise.

Cassandra: I caught up with the rest of the crew for more wine tasting, then headed to our next stop, Bruma Wine Resort.

♪♪♪ What's special about this property is it relies on the elements of nature, giving visitors a one of a kind experience.

Casa Ocho is an eight-room luxury retreat with breathtaking views and, for wine lovers, the barrel and wine tasting room is hidden in a 300-year-old oak tree, which is the symbol of Bruma Wine Resort.

Fauna, its restaurant, fuses gastronomy and decadence by using their herbs and vegetables grown on the property to create an 11-course experience.

"Latin America's 50 Best Restaurants" named Fauna top five in Latin America and number one in Mexico.

Leslie Mendoza: I am Leslie Mendoza.

I'm the chef of Fauna here in Valle de Guadalupe.

Fauna in Spanish means that, like, fauna, all around, like trees, flowers, animals, everything.

Cassandra: And we're in the middle of everything.

Evelyn: Yeah, we're in the middle of everything in Valle de Guadalupe.

Cassandra: What do you like most about your job?

Leslie: The people.

I love to try with the people, with my chefs, with everything.

It's nice to have people around.

Cassandra: And what are we gonna eat today?

Leslie: You're gonna eat a lot of stuff.

We're gonna start with sour things to open your mouth and everything, your expectation, and then we're gonna get slowly to the fat.

So we go to the--a lot of oysters and fish and mayonnaise, citrus, everything.

And then we go down with the citrus and go out with--up with the-- Cassandra: Like meats.

Leslie: Like meats.

We have, like, different.

We have meat, we have pork, we have octopus, and we're gonna finish with a lovely dessert.

male: It's going to be your first course, okay?

First of all, we have the chocolate clam.

This clam comes with a parsley oil and herb paste with some fresh radish, okay?

It's one piece for each of you.

In the middle we have the smoked broccoli.

It's a cold dish.

This broccoli, you need to cut it in small pieces, dip it, and eat it.

It comes with a chiltepin chili oil and black sesame with lemon zest.

Finally, we have our rockfish ceviche.

It comes with a chili mayonnaise, shredded cucumber, mustard seeds, and fresh cucumber on the top.

That dish, you need to mix it up really well to integrate all the flavors, and you're going to eat it with the tortilla chips, okay?

And the first wine that we're going to try today, this is our eight white.

This white, it's really particular and unique because it's a white wine that you do with red grapes.

That's what you call a blanc de noir.

A blanc de noir, this is a 2021.

It has six months in oak.

We use new oak half of the wine, and the other half we put it in a steel tank.

It's going to be really crispy fresh, mineral, a lot of white flowers in here.

It's one of the favorites of our -- called Lourdes Martinez, and she always described this wine as a champagne without bubbles, okay?

So I hope you enjoy it with the first course.

I think with the flavors that you have goes amazing.

So, please enjoy.

♪♪♪ Cassandra: Bruma Wine Resort was top-notch and the food, wine, ambience, and customer service at Fauna was incredible.

Book your reservation.

It is worth the wait.

Ray: I wanna thank my new best friend Cassandra and to my family.

This is a family business and my family, Tara and Mirera, and Claudia, of course, my friend.

This is such a blessing, such a good time to be with you guys here.

Cheers.

all: Cheers!

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Cassandra: Today was incredible, but the adventure is not over.

♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ ♪♪♪ Cassandra: On the next episode of "Fresh Glass."

The adventure in Baja continues.

♪♪♪ We shake things up, dance the night away, and meet the queen of ceviche.

Ray: That's perfect.

That's wonderful.

female: This is "Fresh Glass."

announcer: "Fresh Glass" is brought to you by Visit California.

University of California.

Cal State University San Marcos.

CCAE Theatricals, transforming lives through theater, creating pathways in the arts, inspiring the next generation of arts leaders.

Maya's Cookies.

You can visit their locations, or order online at mayascookies.com.

The County of San Diego Black Chamber of Commerce.

Computers 2 Kids.

Lifetime Smiles of Escondido, with additional contributions from "Fresh Glass" Innovators.

Thank you.

For a complete list of financial contributors, visit aptonline.org.