Gwynne Hogan looks at atoms and molecules with Molokai...

One of the few restaurants in Mendoza attempting fusion cuisine, and one of the even fewer that manage to pull it off, consider Molokai to be your day off from empanadas and rib-eye. Besides combining Japanese, Hungarian and Argentine fare, Molokai incorporates molecular foods—or innovative textures and colors in traditional items—hence the use of terms like cherry air and arugula caviar.

Alta Vista winery have started offering gourmet picnics for a lunch in the garden with a difference, Gwynne Hogan takes a peek into the picnic basket...

Tired of gorging yourself on slabs of beef the size of small mammels? Last Saturday (14 Jan), winery Alta Vista launched a new gastronomic fare that proves as a refreshing relief from the "traditional" Mendocino 5 course meal, although just as elegant and as filling. Opening on January 23rd, Le Parc within the compounds of Alta Vista will be serving up Bento Box style picnic lunches, complete with wicker picnic baskets, wine aplenty, and colorful blankets perfect for a post-wine-tour siesta.

The small wine resort Entre Cielos has added a new feather to thier bow, the Beef Club & Wine House. With an opening party on 4 November, guests were invited to take a tour around the attractive outdoor restaurant and wine tasting rooms and try some of the prized Argentine beef with wine.

Opening Monday through Saturday lunches and Friday and Saturday evenings, this brand new 'parilla' style restaurant will serve different cuts of steak and meats, chorizos and salads, roast vegetables and country style potatoe wedges on the side. The idea is to give visitors to Mendoza the ultimate Argentine asado experience in the luxurious setting of Entre Cielos. 

For an out of the ordinary winery lunch, Chandon can bring a bit of sparkle to your afternoons in Mendoza. With a tasting menu lunch all paired with their different sparkling wines, this is a unique experiece not only in Argentina, but globally too.

The large French-owned winery was the original foreign investor in Argentina, and is still at the helm of sparkling wine production here. But last year it turned its hand to an innovative pairing game – a six course tasting menu matched to exclusively sparkling wines. Everyone loves fizz with smoked salmon, but can you really sit a frothy glass of bubbles next to one of the famous hunks of Argentine beef? It turns out you can.