Pascual Toso

Pasqual Toso
Originally uploaded by david.gregg

The second wine we put the screw caps to was a Malbec from Pascual Toso. This was a wine that had no real nose to it. Not that that is an entirely bad thing. Though it was high in alcohol, it didn't have that boozy smell that some powerful California reds pack.

A Malbec loaded with pepper, this is a spicy wine which some in the group found off-putting.

Filled with hints of dark fruits like blackberries and cherries as well as fresh currants, this is a dry, fruit back wine with a quick finish. This wine could cut right through the richness of a big, juicy hamburger.

I can recommend this wine at the price I bought it for: $9.99 with an even stronger buy order if you see it on sale for $7.99.

RATING: 2 Screwcaps( out of 5)
LABEL: Pascual Toso
GRAPE: Malbec
PRICE: $9.99

Crios Torrentes

The first wine we tasted was a Crios Torrentes by the Argentinian winemaker Susana Balbo. Made from the popular Argentinian white wine grape torrentes, this wine had a great nose with notes of citrus and straw. With a good acidity and quick finish, we thought this was a crisp, capable white wine.

It was a clean wine with a good color. This wine would go well with seafood, most especially shellfish. But you could also have it as an aperitif.

As a general note for the Brown Bag Sommelier, we rate wines based on their nose, balance, and finish as well as for price. The Crios was our most expensive wine of the night coming in at 12.99. The Holy Grail for this website is finding an awesome tasting wine for 5 bucks.

Despite the fact that its price was at our ceiling, it was strong in all of its categories and at its price a good value.

RATING: 2.5 Screwcaps (out of 5)
LABEL: Crios
GRAPE: Torrentes
PRICE: 12.99

Best Served with....

Just a quick post. In the coming days, I'll start listing the wines we tried and rated from Argentina. One of the things I'll reference is common: what would go great with this wine? What is best served with this wine?

All wine is best served with friends. One of the problems I have with the fetishizing of wine as has happened in the United States is that the emphasis has been so put into the wine. So much power has been placed into the bottle, that the djinni overpowers what it is meant to serve.

Wine is a drink in celebration of social gatherings whether family weeknight dinners, wine and cheese served at sunset, or big blowout dinners for extremely special occasions. Wine is meant to be served with and in the service of friends and friendship.

If you have ever felt weird tasting wine from a bottle that you've ordered in a restaurant, or have been unsure about what bottle to pick up for a dinner party, or if you have felt burned by the $20 bottle you did buy for that party, then this blog is designed to help.

Greatness can be found at all levels of price and variety. Greatness that is best served with friends.