Mendoza Meets Wimbledon: An Exclusive Asado With Catena and Orion

Orion by Alex Webb is bringing the spirit and flavours of Argentina to Wimbledon for one day only on 10 October, with an exceptional collaboration between chef Alex Webb, Catena Zapata, the pioneering Mendoza winery renowned for putting Argentine Malbec on the world stage, and the team behind its Michelin-starred estate restaurant, Angélica Cocina Maestra.

The special event will celebrate the Argentine tradition of asado, pairing fire-cooked meats and Argentine inspired dishes with a carefully curated selection of Catena wines. Adrianna Catena will also be in attendance, adding a personal connection to one of Argentina's most celebrated wine families. At the heart of the experience is a wine first philosophy that defines Angélica Cocina Maestra. Here, wine does not simply accompany the food; it inspires it. Each dish is created to engage in dialogue with the wines, allowing the character of Catena Zapata’s labels to shape the menu itself.

That same philosophy will come to life at Orion, as Alex Webb and the team from Angélica Cocina Maestra collaborate to create a one-off menu built around a selection of Catena wines. Rather than starting with the food and finding a wine to match, the team has taken a wine-first approach, developing each course to complement and showcase the individual wines. The result is an Argentine experience rooted in the traditions of asado, fire and convivial dining, but interpreted through Orion’s approach to British produce and open-fire cooking, with Catena’s wines setting the rhythm of the meal.

Founded in Mendoza, Catena Zapata has played a defining role in establishing Argentine Malbec as one of the world's great wines. The winery's estate is also home to Angélica Cocina Maestra, its Michelin-starred restaurant, where the culinary team explores the landscape, ingredients and traditions of Mendoza through a contemporary lens. For Orion, the collaboration offers an opportunity to bring that spirit to London while creating a menu that connects Argentine fire cooking with the best of British produce.

The Asado Menu and Open-Fire Cooking

At the centre of the experience is ‘Orion Meets Argentina’: British slow-cooked short rib and Argentinian rib-eye, cooked over the Green Egg BBQ, smoked and carved tableside. The two cuts will be served with roasted beef sauce, chimichurri and peppercorn sauce, creating a centrepiece designed to capture the theatre and conviviality of a traditional Argentine asado.

The experience begins with a selection of snacks, including crispy choux buns with potato purée and chimichurri gel; grilled oyster with crispy chorizo and green chilli; and chicken pâté with pear chutney and popcorn. A lobster and prawn empanada follows, served with ajo blanco, fig leaf oil and a mixed herb salad, before the main event of British short rib and Argentinian rib-eye. Sides of creamed spinach and roasted potatoes with garlic and parsley butter accompany the meats, while dessert takes a distinctly Argentine turn with Flan Mixto, traditional Argentine flan served with whipped Chantilly cream and dulce de leche alfajores.

Wine-First Pairings, Timings, and Reservations

The menu will be accompanied by two distinct Catena wine pairings, allowing guests to explore different expressions of Mendoza throughout the meal. The pairings move from Catena Rosé de la Provincia 2025 with the opening snacks, through Catena Alta Chardonnay 2024 or Adrianna Vineyard White Stones Chardonnay 2021 with the lobster and prawn empanada, to the headline pairing of Catena Zapata Malbec Argentino 2023 or Adrianna Vineyard River Malbec 2021 alongside the asado. Dessert will be paired with High Mountain St Felicien Semillon Doux 2019, bringing the experience to a suitably sweet close. The result is a wine first menu, with each course and pairing carefully considered to showcase the relationship between Argentine food and wine.

The event will take place across one lunch sitting from 12.15-2.00pm and one dinner sitting from 8.00-9.30pm on 10 October.

Tickets are £95 per person for food, with two optional wine pairings available (£65 and £95 for premium option).

Bookings for the Orion x Catena Zapata Argentine Asado can be made via Orion by Alex Webb.