The Lagarde winery operates in Lujan de Cuyo, one of the epicenters of Mendoza viticulture. Together with the production area and the administrative offices, not long ago, the Pescarmona family opened the award-winning restaurant “Zonda”. In addition to providing an excellent gastronomic experience, it takes you to the lifestyle of the people of Mendoza from a few generations ago. It also generates a unique atmosphere of connection with customs and traditions of good home cooking and contact with nature.
Disconnection from the daily routine
According to Constanza Pérez Colman, Marketing Manager of Lagarde, it is all about “spending a day with us”. It starts with a reception and then a visit to the wonderful orchard. The tour continues with a “cooking class” to learn how to prepare empanadas or typical a typical bread of Mendoza called ‘tortitas’. Finally, guests sit at the table to enjoy best wines from Lagarde with a 9-course menu prepared by Augusto García, the chef of the venue, recently awarded with a Michelin star.
“The experience takes place from 11 in the morning until approximately 4:30 p.m., depending on how long the guests would like to stay chatting after the meal,” adds Constanza.
We start around 11 am with a late breakfast consisting on coffee, fruits and some simple preparations with “very Mendoza” ingredients from the garden: oranges, grapefruits and green apples decorated with edible flowers from the organic garden; breads made with pumpkin and walnuts and cereal bars prepared with oat, seeds and pistachios.
“We always say that we are inviting you to eat at home,” Pérez Colman says while entering the dining room: a room with a large open kitchen, where guests can talk to the cooks, see them cooking and perceive aromas, textures and colors of their preparations.
“The idea is that all senses can be activated. We start from what is a totally organic and natural cuisine, showing where the food comes from. We want our guests to enjoy all the steps of the process, hand in hand with becoming conscious of the sustainable characteristic of experience,” details the guide.
During the reception, the bar manager surprises us with a refreshing non-alcoholic drink based on an infusion of aromatic herbs with lemon juice and syrup and finished with a natural fruit soda made of the pieces of ingredients that haven´t been used in cooking. “The idea is not to throw away products, making them go through a process to generate a delicious drink, reusing and avoiding unnecessary waste, following Lagarde’s sustainability,” he explains.
The Zonda orchard: “farm to table”, sustainable and seasonal
Maximiliano Balboa is responsible for the orchard. His knowledge comes from his childhood, when he helped his father taking care of the family’s orchard and became a specialist in natural remedies.
“This orchard is organic and we manage the biological balance thanks to the aromatic herbs that help us both in the kitchen and in the orchard itself to repel some insects. A very good repellent is a plant called ruta graveolens”, Maximiliano tells us.
At this time of the year the orchard offers seasonal crops such as broccoli and chard. Others are just emerging, such as strawberries and lettuce. The fruit trees are also already showing their first buds.
The tour of the Zonda orchard ends with the tasting of a delicious lemon verbena herbal tea.
Sophisticated 9-courses menu
Chef Augusto García explains that “the menu consists of 9 courses, with 80% of ingredients from our organic orchard and the rest from other small local producers. The motto is to use everything from Mendoza, a fact that highlights the sustainability of our menu,” García kindly explains.
The menu displays an array of dishes with vegetables, delicious meats and excellent pairings. The goal is achieved: for a few hours we forget about our routines to enjoy this wonderful sensory experience.
Text and Photo Credits: EMETUR (Tourism Board of Mendoza)