Exclusive Wine Tasting in Cabo: The Cellars, the Wine Bars and What to Ask For

Los Cabos is desert, not vineyard country. There are no tasting rooms among the vines here. A wine tasting in Cabo means a restaurant with a serious cellar, a person on the floor who knows it, and a table you do not want to leave. That is a better night than it sounds. We have a short list of places where the wine list is the reason to go, with hours, price level and ratings from our listings, and one question that gets you the good bottles.

The question to ask

Ask for the Mexican wines. Baja has a growing wine region, a lot of restaurants here are proud of it, and the best bottles often are not the ones printed first on the list. Tell the sommelier what you normally drink and ask what the Baja version is. If you are with a group, ask for a blind tasting of three or four. It turns dinner into the evening's entertainment and it costs no more than the bottles.

The cellar dinners

Sunset Monalisa

At km 6 on the Corridor, Sunset Monalisa is fine dining with a Mediterranean kitchen and a wine list built for it. $$$$, open 4pm to 10:30pm every day, a 4.5 from over 2,100 reviews. Go at sunset, order by the glass through the first courses, then let the staff pick the bottle for the main. It is upmarket and romantic, so dress for it.

Edith's Restaurante

On Av. del Pescador in Cabo San Lucas, Edith's is the other $$$$ room, with steaks, seafood and the wine to match. Open 5pm to 10pm, a 4.5 from around 1,170 reviews, live music, and a historic, candlelit feel. A good place to try a big Baja red with meat.

Salvatore G's

Italian, downtown on Vicente Guerrero, $$$, and the highest rated of the group at a 4.8 from close to 2,000 reviews. Open 11am to 10:30pm, from 4pm on Sunday. The list leans Italian, and it has happy-hour drinks, which makes it the value pick for a tasting that does not need a special occasion.

Daikoku

Japanese, inside Plaza Nautica on Paseo de la Marina, $$$, a 4.5 from about 1,090 reviews, open 1pm to 11pm. It is quiet and upmarket, with a wine list and a tea list both rated highly. Wine with sushi is its own small education. Ask what they pour with the sashimi.

The wine bar

Outpost

Outpost, on Blvd. Paseo de la Marina, is listed as a wine bar and cocktail bar, and it is the one place on this list built for tasting rather than dinner. $$, a 4.6 from around 1,140 reviews, rooftop seating, small plates, and open 8am to 1am every day. Come after dinner somewhere else and work through the list by the glass.

The farm dinners

Flora Farms

At km 30 in Las Ánimas Bajas outside San José del Cabo, Flora Farms pairs its wine list with food grown a few steps from your table. $$$, a 4.7 from around 3,400 reviews. Dinner is 5:30 to 9pm Tuesday through Saturday, closed Monday. Book ahead.

Acre Restaurant

Acre, at Rincón de las Animas, is the moodier neighbor: upmarket, romantic, rooftop seating and a fireplace. $$$, a 4.6 from about 1,600 reviews, open 11:30am to 10pm on weekdays and 5 to 10pm for weekend dinner. Our pick for a long pairing dinner for two.

Worth the drive to Todos Santos

Oystera

An oyster bar with a wine list, a rooftop and a quiet, upmarket room in Todos Santos. $$$, a 4.6 from close to 1,500 reviews, open 10am to 9pm most days and noon to 8pm on Monday. Oysters and a cold white in the afternoon is the whole plan.

Two more names to know

Our wine bar guide names El Farallon, for its oceanfront setting and big cellar, and Don Sanchez, for pairings with elevated Mexican food, as the two rooms to book for a wine-first night. For the oceanfront tables and tasting menus, book three to four weeks ahead and ask for a table with a view.

Before you go

• Peak season is November through April. Terraces are at their best and tables are hardest to get. Summer has more availability and air-conditioned rooms.
• Dress smart casual for the $$$$ rooms.
• Arrange a driver. A tasting is not a night to drive the Corridor.
• Tip 15 to 20 percent, and tip the sommelier who did the work.

Ask for the Baja bottles, book the terrace, and let someone else drive. See the full list of where we eat and drink on our Cabo restaurants page.