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[title]It is well known that wine is much more than just a beverage; it is Argentina’s most value-added agricultural product, with Mendoza being the primary reference. While the province has other riches, wine transcends its direct contributions. Thanks to the pleasure it brings to consumers worldwide, thousands of tourists visit Mendoza. This influx of wine lovers has revitalized the Cuyo region, particularly the traditional area of the First Zone, Maipú. Therefore, we present a list for you to enjoy the best winery restaurants to visit in this Mendoza locality, which, along with Luján de Cuyo, forms the wine epicenter of the province.
Which Restaurants to Visit in Maipú, Mendoza?
While the city boasts many fine restaurants, Abrasado, at Bodega Los Toneles, is a top choice for tourists for dinners due to its proximity to the city center. The menu emphasizes the value of seasonal ingredients, traceability, and the quality of the products used, sourced from their own farms and vineyards.
Being responsible for the entire production chain, Abrasado’s concept of "from the field to the plate" is applied to bread, wine, and vegetables. Similarly, the meats meet the required quality thanks to the constant monitoring of the entire production chain.
The pioneer in creating a winery restaurant to offer a different experience around food and wine was chef Lucas Bustos, who opened his first restaurant at Ruca Malen at the beginning of the millennium. Today, Lucas is one of Argentina’s most recognized chefs, with restaurants in Spain, Uruguay, and Mendoza, and he is in charge of the fires at Espacio Trapiche, a modern restaurant set in the gardens at the entrance of the winery building dating back to the early 1900s, surrounded by vineyards and an organic garden.
Here, the chef is inspired by the product and the wines of the winemaker Sergio Casé to create dishes that speak for themselves. The pairings become an integral experience, as the sensations emanating from the dishes and wines can be appreciated with all senses. Lucas also studies local traditions and seeks to capture the essence of mountain or sea cuisine in each preparation to propose combinations that reflect the surrounding culture.
Another popular spot for its wines and gastronomy, but mainly for the personality, is Casa Vigil, owned by the renowned winemaker from Catena Zapata, Alejandro Vigil. His fame has transcended the wineries and wines because he has long been involved in his gastronomic ventures, significantly contributing to the province. Without a doubt, Casa Vigil (where he also lives) is a place every wine lover wants to visit.
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In Chachingo, a poetic journey begins, culminating in a banquet in paradise. Each dish is made with products from the family garden, inspired by the products that flourish in each season and are expressed in family recipes. While the wines with excellent international scores are the great treasure, art and history are also pillars of the sensory experience.
The restaurant features different environments inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, where you can taste El Enemigo wines while having lunch or dinner. Here, you experience an impressive gastronomic journey in a relaxed, family-friendly atmosphere, often highlighted by the famous winemaker greeting the tables, talking about his wines, taking photos, signing autographs, and toasting with the diners.
A few kilometers further east is Finca El Paraíso, an experience created by Luigi Bosca to enjoy wine with all senses in harmony with nature. The gastronomy, which prioritizes and respects local ingredients, is a fundamental part of the experience they have been offering for a year, known for its innovation and the magnificence of the surroundings.
It is the oldest property of the Arizu family with the greatest variety of planted grapevines. At its center is a château-style mansion built in 1905, notable for its beauty and elegance, which has housed the Arizu family since 1926. Here, in addition to enjoying sensory and emotionally linked proposals, you can participate in tastings among the vines, outdoor events, and tours of the mansion, which is part of the Arizu family history.
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Chef Pablo del Río welcomes diners at the grill where the experience begins, standing, informal but full of flavors and surprises. It can continue with a picnic in the garden or a multi-course menu in the elegant glassed-in dining room.
Another traditional winery that has revamped its gastronomic offering and is attracting many tourists is Atilio Avena, led by executive chef Lucian Ricco. It offers cuisine that seeks to identify with the memory of ancestors, brought to the present with appropriate technique and respect for local products, aiming to tell the story of those who work the land.
Antigal Winery & Estates is one of the oldest wineries in Argentina. Founded in 1897 in Maipú, its main vineyards are in Valle de Uco, Gualtallary, and La Arboleda. The completely renovated late 19th-century historic building houses Antigal Authentic Flavors, the new restaurant headed by chef Lucian Ricco. Its goal is to blend typical Argentine creole cuisine with modern cooking, providing a contemporary alchemy with the winery’s most iconic wines.
Also in Maipú, but further north, is Santa Julia, where the Zuccardi family built part of their fame through gastronomy. First with La Casa del Visitante, undoubtedly one of the pioneers, and later with Pan & Oliva. The traditional menu (empanadas, grilled meats, assorted salads, and desserts) is complemented by two interesting proposals. The tasting menu includes dishes made with regional ingredients that vary by season, and the Olive menu, based on various olive oil varieties in its preparation.
Pan & Oliva was conceived as a restaurant-store-educational site in a spacious, bright, and warm environment with an open kitchen and wood stove. The culinary focus highlights olive oil, and the menu consists of tapas, pasta, salads, and homemade dishes prepared with fresh, seasonal ingredients from their organic garden. All options are paired with wines and varietal oils from Familia Zuccardi. You can also visit the olive processing plant, the organic garden, and the distillery. Besides the wines, the stars are the empanadas from La Chacha.
For the classics, the obligatory destination is Bodegas López, founded in 1898, which in recent years has added a new museum, a micro-cinema, and El Rincón de López, a restaurant with views of the winery and its gardens for 80 diners, offering an à la carte menu and two- and three-course tasting menus, as well as a children's menu.
Another classic is 1884, by Francis Mallmann, his first Mendoza restaurant, still operating in the Bodega Escorihuela Gascón facilities in Godoy Cruz. Here, the renowned chef offers the best of Argentine cuisine, paired with outstanding Mendoza wines, and of course, those made by young winemaker Matías Ciciani Soler, right there.