Winemakers in Baja California’s Guadalupe Valley are raising their glasses to a future without condos and traffic jams. On Wednesday, the local government overturned a regulation that would have brought more development into the valley.
Vintners in the valley — Mexico’s premier wine country — had been campaigning for months against a new law that would have allowed high-density development on agricultural land.
On Wednesday they claimed victory as Ensenada’s newly seated city council voted to strike down the law.
Natalia Badán, owner of the Cavas del Mogor winery in Guadalupe Valley, said the reversal saves the area from becoming just another city.
“We’re very happy about it,” she said. “It means we have to begin to work a lot to keep our valley beautiful, to keep it for agriculture and to make the best wines of Mexico.”
Current regulations do allow for some urban development in the valley, but the most fertile areas will continue to be reserved for agriculture.
