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Mendoza's best winery restaurant

Familia Zuccardi’s restaurant Casa del Visitante, near Mendoza in Argentina, has been named Best Winery Restaurant by the Great Wine Capitals Committee of Mendoza.

The restaurant previously won this award in 2006. The accolade means Casa del Visitante will now go forward this month ( November 09) to represent the entire Mendoza region in the international final of the Great Wine Capitals competition.

The Great Wine Capitals is a network of eight international cities in both the northern and southern hemispheres renowned for their wine regions. It is the only such network to combine both Old and New world regions in this way. Casa del Visitante will now be judged against the top winery restaurants from the other participating regions to decide upon the ultimate global winner. These include the cities of Bordeaux, Cape Town, Florence, Mainz, Porto, Bilbao-Rioja and San Francisco-Napa Valley.

The Five Star Casa del Visitante restaurant opened its doors in 2004 and has developed an international reputation for its delicious Argentine menu. The restaurant has a capacity for 80 diners, offering guests gourmet regional dishes made using seasonal local produce.

Head Chef Matías Aldasoro offers two menu options. A Traditional Menu features key Argentine delicacies such as empanadas, a barbecue selection, salads and grilled vegetables. The Tasting Menu is a gourmet option with the emphasis on presenting regional and seasonal products.

Both options have been developed to showcase the Familia Zuccardi wines and olive oils, also made on the estate.

José Alberto Zuccardi, director of Familia Zuccardi, comments “Our restaurant is situated amid the beautiful natural scenery in Maipú, beside our winery and surrounded by our own vineyards and olive trees. We feel this is the perfect setting in which to enjoy a delicious taste of Argentine cooking and wines. We are thrilled to be representing our home in this important international competition.”

The restaurant is managed by José Alberto Zuccardi’s daughter Julia, after whom he named his Santa Julia range of wines.

About Casa del Visitante restaurant
The restaurant forms a central part of the Zuccardi family’s tourist activities. The company regularly receives over 50,000 tourists each year. They offer a range of activities for visitors, themed around wine and cultural experiences. These include:
• Wine tasting courses
• Traditional Argentinean mate tea afternoons
• Viticultural activities like Let’s Harvest and Let’s Prune
• A traditional Argentine cookery class Let’s Cook
• Hot air balloon rides incorporating an aerial wine tasting Let’s Fly
• Bike rides through the vineyards
• Picnic in the Gardens
• A Classic and Vintage Car Wine Tour

AboutGreat Wine Capitals
Set up in 1999 to promote wine tourism internationally and as a forum for the exchange of economic, academic and cultural experiences between different winemaking regions.
The prestigious annual ‘Best of Wine Tourism’ award is designed to reward the wineries in each member city that have distinguished themselves in terms of the excellence of their facilities in various categories from art and culture to sustainable wine tourism, and delivering quality experiences to the public.