Mexico is our fantasy home. We travel there once or twice a year and dream about having a house there some day. Until then, vacations will suffice. To us, Mexico was the perfect destination with one exception—no wine culture. Margaritas, of course. Cerveza, absolutely. But good wine, not so much. Until now.

During our recent vacation in Los Cabos, we discovered great wine and wine lovers. And while Tecate and Tequila will continue to trump Tempranillo in this wonderful country, we look forward to enjoying wine's expansion into Margaritaville. In fact, we hope to visit the Baja wine region on our next trip, which, we hear, improves with each harvest.

Lasanta Wine Bar
Located on a side street just off the lovely main square in San Jose del Cabo, Lasanta is the epicenter of wine culture in this fast-growing historic town. We stopped in to Lasanta last summer just after it opened, and were pleased to see it had survived its first year. The thoughtful and eclectic wine list is strong on reds from Chile, Argentina, Mexico, and Italy.  Whites are represented but clearly secondary to the bold Latin reds.

Lasanta's menu features small plates, appetizers, and a few entrees, with a focus on Mediterranean and Latin flavors.

What We Tasted
Sommelier Fernando Hernandez kindly shared some small pours with us after we finished our order, encouraging us to sample some of his favorite wines.

• Macon Villages 2002 Chardonnay — very thin; Lisa ordered it, Gary wound up drinking it
• Deacon Estates Shiraz 2002 — served too cold but Lisa liked it after she swapped with Gary
• Lagarde 2003 Malbec (Argentina) — deep blackberry taste; well balanced; excellent Malbec
  
• Chateau Latour Laguens 2000 (France) — Too alcohol-forward for our palates
  
• Gabriel 2003 Adobe de Guadaloupe (Baja California, Mex.) — Merlot, Cab, Malbec blend; very drinkable

Voila
Chef-owner Roberto Valle was sampling some new wine at Tutto Bene, a marvelous wine and food shop in Cabo San Lucas, when we stopped in. Never ones to turn down a chance to try something new, we asked the owner if we could join in the tasting. While the wine wasn't memorable, the meeting with Roberto was. He was engaging, passionate about food and wine, and anxious to chat up two Gringos with similar tastes. He told us about his bistro, Voila, and asked us to stop by when we were next in San Jose del Cabo.

As it turns out, we were in SJDC the very next day and ducked into the air conditioned Voila to escape the 100 degree heat. (Yes it's dry heat, but 100 is 100!)  What a stunning restaurant!  Located in the burgeoning Gallery District, Voila sports a stylish dining room (built around historic ruins) and an al fresco bar and firepit (not needed on this hot-as-hell day.)
The menu offers "creative Mexican cuisine tweaked with French and Asian twists."  Gary ordered the signature lobster burrito with Manchego cheese, avocado, cabbage and mango chipotle salsa. Lisa opted for the Classic Caesar with grilled lobster.  Both were spectacular, as was the home-baked French bread.

We each had a glass of good local wine, selected from Voila's well-chosen list. 

Tutto Bene
At the foot of Pedregal, a luxury gated community atop the hills of Cabo, you'll find Tutto Bene. A true stand-out amidst the kitsch and tourista culture of Cabo.  This shop is Mecca to the growing population of local and visiting fine food and wine lovers.  You'll find over 400 quality wines on their shelves (from Chile, Italy, France, Argentina, California, Oregon and Washington state) and great cheeses, breads, condiments and cured meats.  This was a frequent stop on our many walks around town. 

Capo San Giovanni
You can only eat so many tacos and moles in a week until you cry "I need a great Italian meal." Fortunately, our friends at Tutto Bene were happy to recommend a ristorante from a real paisan. Owners Antonella (pastry chef) and Gianfranco (exec chef) held big-time culinary jobs in the US before relocating to Mexico in the late 1990's.

We brought a gorgeous Zin from Chumeia Vineyards (purchased the previous week in Paso Robles) to dinner and Antonella graciously led us to our table and charged just a $10 corkage fee (compared with a $25 fee quoted by another ristorante.)  If we hadn't broght our own, we would have gladly ordered from the restaurant's excellent wine list. Wines from Mexico, Argentina, Chile, and California shared space with an outstanding selection of Italian vintages.  Gary and Antonella swapped stories about Montelpuciano d'Abruzzo and Barbera del Piemonte Einaudi.

The food was excellent, but the true standout was the jazz combo that serenaded diners in the outdoor courtyard. We typically shy away from music at dinner, especially in Mexico, where tacky Mariachi bands play Guantanamera over and over again. This group was a class act and played several of our requests, including gems from Santana, Jobim, and Van Morrison.