Complete Guide To Visiting Queretaro Wine Region, Mexico

What is the wine like in Queretaro?

The wine in Queretaro isn’t like the wine you’ll get elsewhere. The speciality is sparkling wine, something I’m not the biggest fan of. But if you are, you’ll love the sparkling white and rose wine in Queretaro! If you like regular sweet wine, you’ll also be in your element.

They also make a lot of red wine in Queretaro. I ended up drinking a lot of this since there weren’t so many dry whites (my usual preference). I really enjoyed them all.

Where are the Queretaro wineries?

There are three Queretaro wineries set along the road connecting Bernal and Tequisquiapan. You could visit all three in a day but then you wouldn’t have time to do Bernal and Tequisquiapan justice. I’d recommend splitting them across 2 days if you have time. I’ll share my itinerary later on.

Getting from Queretaro to Bernal by public bus

Catch an Uber from your accommodation to Terminal de Autobuses de Querétaro, the main station a 20-minute drive from town. If you arrived into Queretaro by bus from any major city in Mexico, you’ll likely have been here already.

Get your driver to drop you at Terminal B and locate the Flecha Amarilla counter where you can buy a ticket to Bernal for just 58 pesos. The ride takes about an hour.

Return bus journey from Bernal to Queretaro: Catch the blue Flecha Azul bus from Benito Juarez (the main street in Bernal) from the point pinned here. Alternatively, enter Butique la Nueva Saga into Google Maps and wait on the opposite side of the road.

The last bus between Bernal and Queretaro is 6pm or 6.30pm depending on the day so check with a tourism stand. If you were to miss it, you’d need to pay 550 pesos by taxi. There’s no Uber available outside of Queretaro city.

Getting from Queretaro to Tequisquiapan by bus

To get to Tequisquiapan (the other launching point for the wineries) from Queretaro to by public bus, arrive at Terminal B of Terminal de Autobuses de Querétaro and check the boards for Tequisquiapan. The ticket costs 65 pesos and the ride takes an hour. You’ll be dropped at Terminal de Autobuses Tequisquiapan which is a 15-minute walk into town.

Return bus journey from Tequisquiapan to Queretaro: When you want to go home, return to the bus station. Buses run half-hourly from Tequisquiapan to Queretaro with the last service at 8pm.

Winery #1 – Finca Sala Vivé by Freixenet 

This winery is the busiest and most famous because all the bus tours stop here. For that reason, it was my least favourite, although if you’re interested in the wine production and want to see the cellars, it’s a great shout. It’s also the cheapest Queretaro winery to visit as the public bus from Bernal only costs 16 pesos each way.

Price: You’ll pay 120 pesos for a cellar tour and glass of cava. Additional glasses of wine in the yard cost 80 pesos and you can purchase delicious cheeses for 180 pesos, served with biscuits. These are all served in plastic boxes, so the presentation and environmental impact aren’t great, FYI.

Getting to Finca Sala Vivé by Freixenet: After the tourism stands in Bernal tried to sell us 700 peso tours, we asked a tuk-tuk driver who said he couldn’t take us but pointed by a yellow bus just about to depart. We jumped on and got taken to Finca Sala Vivé for 16 pesos. On the way home, we simply waited for the same bus on the other side of the road.

To catch the bus to the Finca Sala Vivé winery from Bernal, wait outside Chocolates Xocoles. To double-check it’s the right bus, you can ask the driver ‘Vas a Finca Sala Vivé Freixenet?’ or show them the location on Google Maps. I’d recommend having this open anyway so you know where to jump off.

Psst – when arriving/departing, pick up some tequila coffee chocolates from the Chocolates Xocoles shop, they’re delicious and only 10 pesos each!

Winery #2 – Viñedo Los Rosales

Viñedo Los Rosales is my personal favourite winery in Queretaro. Unlike Finca Sala Vivé, no tour buses stop here. Very pretty and peaceful!

Once you arrive via the long drive way, head to the outdoor bar where the staff are happy to let you sample the wines before buying. I went for a relatively dry red since there weren’t any dry whites, only sweet. I’m not usually a huge red wine fan but it was ‘moy rico‘ as the Mexicans would say (delicious).

Price: For 120 pesos, the staff offered us a tour of the vineyards but since it was early in the year and the vines were brown, we didn’t take the offer. Instead, we drunk glasses of wine for 100 pesos each.

Getting to Los Rosales: This Queretaro winery is best visited from Tequisquiapan as it’s just a 10-minute drive away. Jump in an orange taxi where Benito Juarez meets the highway, beside Aventura Park.

The tourism office said we should pay 20 pesos per person but I believe this is only if the taxi is full. Since there were just two of us (and we’re obvious tourists!) we were charged 150 pesos total. If you can find a few other people to split the ride with, you may get the cheaper price.

Winery #3 – Vineyards La Redonda

This outdoorsy winery is located between Los Rosales and Finca Sala Vivé. Head inside to purchase wine at the bar, then drink in the garden. Like the other Queretaro wineries, it’s known for its sweet wine and reds. My friend, April, vouched for the sweeter white wines while I stuck to the driest sauvignon they had. Because La Redonda doesn’t have a long driveway, you can see and hear the road so I slightly preferred Los Rosales.

Price: Here you’ll pay 90 pesos for a full glass or 40 pesos for a ‘vaso‘ which is a half cup. I liked this because you get to sample more types. My only complaint was that the vasos came in plastic cups.

Getting to Vineyards La Redonda: Since it’s only a five-minute drive from Los Rosales, I’d recommend waiting on the main road for an orange taxi to pass. Since the taxis will likely already have passengers inside, you can get a cheap price by joining them. We paid 20 pesos each for this journey.

When leaving La Redonda, you’re halfway between Bernal and Tequisquiapan. For those wondering how to visit the Queretaro wine region without a car, budget at least 100 pesos each to get back to Bernal. If you’re headed back to Tequisquiapan (which I would recommend as the buses run later back to Queretaro), wait on the other side of the road.

Itinerary for Queretaro wine region by bus

Tips for visiting Queretaro wineries by public transport

A little Spanish for your visit