In the heart of Zurich’s old town is the Ojo de Agua restaurant, run by Yello singer and entrepreneur Dieter Meier (77). Specialties from Meier’s own farm in Argentina have been eaten and drunk here for nearly 20 years. The recently slightly modernized restaurant has also been redesigned as a wine bar.
“I don’t drink wine any more during the day,” says Meier, who visits Blick. Dressed elegantly and in a good mood as always, she poses for the photo with a full glass. In the restaurant, you can smell the freshly processed wood of the bar counter. Behind it is a wine cabinet with all the wines from Meier’s farm in Argentina.
Argentine wine specialties
“There is finally more space in Ojo de Agua now and working in the kitchen is much easier,” Meier happily says. “Our tartar remains a culinary focus, as it best reflects the quality of our Argentine meat. And a glass of Argentinian Malbec goes well with it.” Meier is and remains the hardest working Swiss ambassador of Argentine food and wine culture.
Its best known wines are mainly fruity and concentrated Malbecs from the Mendoza region. Meier now also wines wines from Patagonia in Argentina’s slightly cooler south. In addition to a Malbec, Pinot Noir, and Chardonnay, Meier also brews a Sauvignon Blanc there, which is particularly appealing. Aromatic Ojo Negro Sauvignon Blanc fermented in both concrete eggs and oak barrels.
“Our cigar wines have a very good price-performance ratio,” says the shrewd sales specialist. He is right where he is right. In particular, the certified organic Cigar Malbec Cabernet shows great freshness and is full of dark fruits and spicy notes. With the right wine accompaniment for every beef tartare or steak.
“Bad” wine
Meier’s best wine is called Malo (English: bad). This is not a contradiction, it is intentional, explains the entrepreneur. “In New York, where I go often, when a beautiful woman walks past a couple of men, they usually say, ‘She’s really bad,’ i.e. bad. But here ‘bad’ is meant ironically and actually means ‘interesting’ and ‘good’.”
Meier is known for not staying in the same place for long. His next trip will take him via Hong Kong to Seattle (USA), then to New York and finally to Zurich, he says at the end of the speech. At 77 years old, she is still full of energy, joie de vivre and, of course, enthusiasm for Argentinean wines.