Now that winter has arrived and temperatures have plummeted in the Southeast, let’s agree: chill calls for a fireplace, mountains and fat to warm body and soul. In order not to ruin your figure or your bank account, we put together a complete two-day itinerary – enough to relax and enjoy the best of the city. Mantiqueira.
There is time to discover incredible oils, eat sausages and curious cheeses, pair them with local wines and the panorama of the region’s araucaria-filled mountains. He doubts? Take your bae, keep calm and go up the mountain!
Day 1
Okay, between the states of São Paulo and Minas there are at least half a dozen charming towns that share the same terroir. The most famous (and obvious) of them is Campos do Jordão. But there is also São Bento do Sapucaí, Gonçalves and Santo Antonio do Pinhal which we recommend as a point of arrival and shelter.
Nothing that prevents a pit stop on the Jordan cheese factory Where Manuel Barroso a Portuguese expert in microbiology, pays homage to his land with the Queijo do Jordão, a dairy that has the face of the Serra da Estrela icon, but instead of being made with raw sheep’s milk and thistle flower (a cousin of the artichoke) , uses milk from Jersey cattle, which softens the palate without giving up creaminess.
However, if the idea is same arrive with everything, it is worth starting with lunch at the Donna Pinha . Snacks like the cone or the smoked trout dumpling are classics that perfectly precede dishes with fresh fish.
Depending on seasonality, the chef Anouk Migotto uses side dishes such as pine nuts, artichokes, red fruits and mushrooms. But there’s always piaguí rice (the native black, which appears even in the sweet version) and passion fruit, sauces based on regional cheeses, friendly service and the sound of a stream.
It is natural that, after lunch, there is a need for a nice siesta, isn’t it? This is the time to settle in a guesthouse with charm and comfort, such as Cedar Inn.
Each of its 10 lofts has inviting king sizes, a balcony with a hammock, fireplace, hot tub and green views. In the common area, there is a swimming pool and jacuzzi, dry and wet sauna and spa – activities that must be booked. Around it, trails and waterfalls can occupy the free time.
If, after enjoying these experiences, laziness hits you, you don’t even have to bother to leave: the place has a private canteen, with fresh homemade pasta, such as papardellini with beef ragu and Neapolitan scialatielli, rustic tomato paste, shitake , provolone and eggplant.
Soups can use ingredients from the organic garden and accompany homemade breads. Desserts can abuse the honey also produced there!
Day 2
Not that you have to get up early, of course, but the day promises, so resist spending it indoors. Bet on a good dose of caffeine, but don’t go overboard with goodies, as the day offers a lot of temptations…
So start by digesting your breakfast with art. The tip is to schedule a visit to the Morito Ebine . Japanese from Yaita, he is not a cabinetmaker, but a craftsman and wood worshiper. He listens to each tree, respects its life cycle and sculpts only what it allows, showing its veins, always with grooves, never with nails and brutal perforations.
A chair can take a month to be born, a table three. Each piece is inimitable, even so, whoever gets excited about the subject, turns and moves it opens small groups for hands-on courses!
From there, it’s worth stretching to the You knew . Ranked among the 10 best olive oils in the world by the respected Spanish list Evooluem, it is the result of the dream of a journalist and a publicist who switched from beef cattle to olive farming and, since 2018, have been harvesting crops on the slopes of Mantiqueira.
The care with olives of three varieties (Spanish arbequina and arbosana and grara koroneiki) results in very pure single-varietal oils and a special blend, which can be tasted with the help of an expert on site and, of course, carried in the suitcase as well.
Take the opportunity to put the olive oil tasting class into practice and head to the Essenza space . At an altitude of 1,200 m, it is a climatic resort with olive oil production, but also organic eggs, honey, strawberry, Sicilian lemon, trout and Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz and Cabernet Franc vines which, in turn, give rise to to wines with minimal intervention.
Among them, the rosé has just been awarded by the Decanter World Wine Awards 2022 as the best of its category in Brazil. A fresh wine, with pleasant acidity, a jewel to pack the beautiful homemade charcuterie.
Under the auspices of Domenico Trocino, an Italian from Calabria, items such as speck (a kind of raw ham, delicately smoked and cured for at least eight months) and guanciale (a delicacy made with pork cheeks that give rise to recipes of carbonara and amatriciana sauces).
Along with the authentic Calabrian sausage, olives and long-fermented bread, there are guided tastings, but they can also lead to leisurely picnics. Both alternatives, important to say, need to be scheduled by phone (12) 99687-3643.
Considering that the little mouth wasn’t devastating, a nightcap is more than welcome, fair. if it is in Villa Santa Maria Winery in Vale do Baú, in neighboring São Bento do Sapucaí, I’m sure it will be in style!
In formation since the early 2000s, the alcoholic-gastronomic complex offers tours followed by tastings, free walks, picnics in the middle of the vineyards or in the woods, in addition to experiences at the Villa Bruschetteria, a restaurant with different environments, which serves a tasting menu, as well as cold cuts and bruschetta boards, all duly matched with their own labels.
Under the name Brandina (a tribute to the matriarch of the family that owns it, Carbonari), they are divided into reds, whites and rosés based on Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Viognier, vinified in Minas Gerais. , but mostly consumed there, despite the charming physical store and e-commerce.
Ah, it doesn’t hurt to warn you: to guarantee this happy ending at the Villa, it is necessary to schedule it by Tel.: (12) 99633-0222.
* The journalist traveled at the invitation of Pousada do Cedro.
Source: CNN Brasil
