Lunch with The Enemy in Mendoza

We’ve been recommending this experience in Mendoza for some time now, but it’s so good that we want to give it a refreshed view. Enjoy a culinary proposal now included in the Michelin Voyage guide.

Alejandro Vigil is a wine expert at Aleanna Winery, one of the most prestigious wineries in Argentina. Together with Laura, the youngest daughter of the renowned Ernesto Catena, he indulged himself by introducing his own wine: “El Enemigo”. From its very first impression, the name speaks for itself and plays opposite to the other wineries that want to bind together wine and friendship. However, the name given to this wine, has conquered the market due to its antagonism: “The Enemy”.

Maybe that’s not the picture we have in mind about what happens behind closed doors at Aleanna Winery, but that’s how Alejandro Vigil is. He understands his work that way because he is as passionate for the grapevines, the bottles and the beautifully designed labels as for his own restaurant: Casa Vigil (formerly called El Enemigo), where his guests can savour exquisite local cuisine and its emblem wine.

Located in Chachingo, Maipú, only half an hour away from the city of Mendoza, Casa Vigil was recently included in the prestigious French guide Michelin Voyage, which stands out the best touristic and gastronomic places to visit outside France. The guide has remarked not only the well thought dishes that you will find on its menu to pair its wines, but also praised the place itself for its originality and exhibited local art. “An attractive and atypical place”, the Michelin Voyage calls.

This is not the only international mention to Casa Vigil. In 2017, the Great Wine Capitals network awarded it as the best cellar restaurant in Argentina, and Decanter magazine called it one of the best restaurants in Mendoza.

With so many good reviews, surely you´re curious and eager to see and taste for yourself what all this is about. This is definitely an experience that you can’t miss on your visit to Mendoza.

When in town, you will be picked up from your hotel and taken to Casa Vigil, where you´ll meet Alejandro and his wife Maria. You´ll visit the cellar where El Enemigo and El Gran Enemigo are made, and also be welcomed into the Vigil´s family home, where they´ll share anecdotes, stories and tell you about their passion for wine.

The visit includes and exquisite asado (barbecue) with gourmet salads and grilled vegetables. Of course, you won´t leave without tasting some of the house´s internationally prized wines, joined by one of the best wine experts in the world: Alejandro himself will guide you through a “Great Enemy” wine tasting experience.  

 

GENERAL INFORMATION

  • Lunch with “El Enemigo” menu: Barbecue with gourmet salads and grilled vegetables along with the seven labels of “El Enemigo”.
  • Min. 2 pax required
  • Tour to the cellar is subject to availability.
  • Included: Round-trip transportation to and from the winery – “Gran Enemigo” wine tasting experience – 4 step lunch with wines included.
  • Not included: Tips – Accommodation – Extra wine tastings – Guide.
  • 7 step dinner service is also available. Contact your Kallpa Executive for pricing.

A WINE TRIP THROUGH ARGENTINA WITHOUT MOVING

Without leaving Buenos Aires, go on a gourmet journey that will enhance your palate and take you through the most important Argentinian wine regions.

It can’t be denied that Argentina is one of the most renowned wine countries in the world and that Buenos Aires, with its faded European touch and Latin passion, is the greatest city to enjoy the best gastronomy and wine that this country has to offer.

Today we want to share with you a Premium wine tasting, to try the best of the best and delight yourself with regional gourmet tapas, specially made for the occasion.

In the heart of Palermo Soho, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires, home of many bars, restaurants and top designer stores, we find the prestigious Freud & Fahler; a legend of avant-garde gastronomy. Here we´re invited by Diego, Pol and Jorge to experience this VIP tasting.

They are the warming hosts and front men of this business venture. Wine enthusiasts and foodies themselves, each of them play a fundamental role: Diego is the multilingual sommelier in charge; Pol has been Freud & Fahler´s owner and head chef from 20 years now, innovating in gastronomy since its early days; and Jorge is the spokesperson responsible for spreading the word about this exciting touristic experience.

The tasting takes you on a 1500 miles journey, going over Argentina from north to south across the most important wine regions in the country: Mendoza and its classic and historic vineyards, Salta with its high altitude grapevines and the exotic and southernmost Patagonia, as one of the youngest wine producing regions.

Throughout five specially selected premium wines you will discover the particularities, refined details and differences between the varieties of wines of these whereabouts. Not to be missed: Malbec, Torrontés, Pinot Noir, among others.

The experience is completed with a perfect food match: regional gourmet tapas, specially created by the in house chef Pol Lykan. Each bite was thought to emphasize each wine´s unique taste and characteristic profile. Paired in heaven!

In Buenos Aires, you can enjoy this 5 course wine tasting from Tuesday to Saturday at 6 pm. Make sure to contact your Kallpa Tour executive to book in advance.

Colomé Estancia re-opening in Salta

The luxury boutique hotel comes back with a new proposal that invites to connect with nature and to enjoy the finest wines and the typical gastronomy of the Calchaquí Valley.

Group Colomé recently announced the re-inauguration of Estancia Colomé after six years of being closed to the public. Now, the Hotel re-opens its doors and welcomes those who wish to live the northern experience from a different, and appealing, perspective. At Estancia Colomé you will find top-of-the-line comfort, personalized services, and superb location to make your stay unforgettable.

The hotel features 9 rooms, two of which are master suites with a private living room and direct access to the gallery, and seven junior suites. All the rooms are fully equipped to satisfy the most demanding guests, they all count with underfloor heating, a fireplace, a minibar, a safe-deposit box, idd, background music, and a balcony that offers a magnificent view of the valley.

The decoration of the spaces is warm and cozy and keeps the rustic touch that gives it that extra something. Besides of the superb comfort of the bedrooms, you can enjoy several relaxation areas, such as a library, a playroom, a gym, a wide living room, a bar, a restaurant with A-class gastronomy, an internet room, and even a gift shop!

In terms of gastronomy, we can say that the cuisine offered at Estancia Colomé deserves an article for itself. Most ingredients come from the vegetable garden and farm of the estancia and are grown with agroecological practices, getting products that are beyond organic and have natural flavors and textures. Both Andean and regional-cuisine dishes stand out because of their blend of exquisite tastes.

Another reason to visit Colomé is, of course, the wine. The Chef seeks the perfect combinations of the different dishes and the wines in all their presentations: Colomé Torrontés; Colomé Estate and Colomé Reserva. You can even enjoy a taste of small wine lots specially produced for the guests at the Estancia.

Staying at Estancia Colomé is not just spending the night at a fancy hotel, it is experiencing the essence of the Calchaquí Valleys. During your stay at Colomé, you can enjoy a nice and refreshing walk among the vineyards, taste a glass of wine while watching the sunset from the gallery, play tennis at the estancia’s private court, or even enjoy the art of the Canadian artist  James Turrell at the homonymous museum, which holds ten works of the notorious artist.

Certainly, Colomé is a must for both wine and comfort lovers. If you visit the Calchaquí Valley, do not miss the opportunity to stay at the Estancia.

If you wish more information about this hotel, please contact us at Kallpa Tour

GENERAL INFORMATION.

  • Feasible all year

INCLUDES:

  • Breakfast
  • Use of facilities such as swimming pool and tennis court

NOT INCLUDED:

  • Wine tasting experience
  • Other meals
  • Tips and extra expenses

Mountain, Vineyards & Blue skies at the Uco Valley

An intimate and relaxing gourmet & wine experience awaits in the Uco Valley.

Finca La Azul represents the story of a family business venture well taken care of. Francisco Hinojosa arrived to the Uco Valley in Mendoza almost 100 years ago, to find cheap, arid and stony unoccupied grounds. The Hinojosa family believes that he was the visionary man that started the winemaking culture in this area, given that today is one of the most coveted zones in Mendoza for the growth of special quality grapes destined to fine wine production. The thermal amplitude of the Uco Valley makes a perfect terroir for these grapevines.

Nowadays, Francisco´s heirs run the business and it was his daughter Shirley who decided to open the House of Guests almost three years ago. Finca La Azul´s main house was originally her home for more than 20 years. After taking care of the wine family business, she thought that she wanted to have interesting people to talk to once she grew old and to share her time, cooking and life anecdotes.

For this matter, the 50 mt2 main house was remodeled and expanded to reach 1000 mt2 and host six rooms. Keeping in mind sustainable details, it was decided to protect the house both from cold and heat by building thick stone and sand walls (materials from the very own finca), installing double glass windows and convection heating with wood stoves.

The ranch also works with sustainable agriculture, controlling the use of water and using eco-friendly products to grow peaches, plums and grapes for refined and sparkling wines.

In the very words of Tomás, one of Shirley´s sons, the same soil that in 1991 was an empty open field, today is a long grown land inhabited by plants, families and technological elements and tools (such as an avant-garde irrigation system) for an intensive care of the crops, a handy aid for the finca staff´s daily work.

As for the House of Guests, Shirley´s idea is for the visitors to feel pampered and at home. To share and cook for them and show how the Argentine people life is.

Within an intimate environment between vineyards and fruit trees, right next to the Hinojosa family home, any of the six rooms provide breathtaking views of the Andes and coziness. All rooms are equipped with a private bathroom with bath tub and views, hi-tech TV, Netflix and the best wines.

Being a multicultural family, the gastronomic proposal is a mixture of aromas and flavours. Spanish, Italian and Arabian influences originate intense and traditional creole dishes prepared with seasonal fresh ingredients grown in their very own garden. Of course, always perfectly paired with the wines of this land.

Depending on the season, Finca La Azul offers different activities such as harvesting or cooking. Wine tastings at the wine cellar are always present and a vast collection of classical literature books is available for guests to read and relax at the library. Enjoy cocktails at sunset watching the mountains, a romantic dinner at the vines under the starry sky or a summer lunch at the quincho.

At this homey and friendly space, Shirley and her family will be waiting for you to talk about wine, taste and drink it, show you around this wonderful scenery and enjoy with you its tranquility, gladly offering you their home.

For more information about this marvelous House of Guests, please contact your Kallpa Executive.