I discovered this sparkling wine last year while shopping at Whole Foods. Actually, Charles saw it first and since it was only $7, he put it in our grocery cart. We figured, we pay more to valet our car and how bad could it be? We chilled a bottle and tried it and I couldn't say anything really good or really bad about it and filed the experience away in my memory bank as boring.
We were at an event last night and they were serving the Toso Brut. I braced myself for another mundane experience but this time I found the flavor to be much richer and slightly more toasty than what I had before. It could have been my palate was not as sharp the first time around - I have days where I can't taste as well because of allergies, stress or a cold which can dull my sense of taste -call it a job hazard. This time, I was pleasantly surprised by the Toso. I'm not saying it's on par with expensive French Champagne but if you're looking for something inexpensive, well made, clean and bubbly - it will do the trick - especially for large events when you need a large amount of sparkling wine, e.g., weddings, receptions, birthday parties.
The Toso Brut is an Argentine sparkling wine from Pascual Toso - a family owned company that has been around since 1880. A few years ago, legendary California winemaker Paul Hobbs joined the team to assist winemaker Rolando Luppino revitalize and modernize the wines. Most of the domestic sparkling market in Argentina is controlled by Moet and Chandon - so much so that the locals refer to sparkling wines simply as Chandon. According to Enrique Toso, Toso is the number two selling sparkling wine in Argentina.
Toso is made from Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay - I'm not sure of the breakdown. The secondary fermentation takes place in large tanks rather than individual bottles which is what they do with Champagne. By using the tank or Charmat process as it is sometimes referred to, the production costs are drastically reduced hence the lower price tag. According to their website, Toso also makes sparklers using the more expensive methode champenoise process.
The label reminds me of the Dallas Cowboys logo which could fun to feature during game time if you're a Cowboys fan. But then again, the Cowboy star is blue not white so maybe not. I grew up a 49ers fan and the Cowboys were our arch rivals so what do I know?
Joe Montana for ever!!!!
Hi i moved to argentina a year ago and love toso champain too! Good value for money! am not a chandon fan at all,. at least the chandon you get here is not good :/ they're good at marketing though. they sell this tiny chandon 187 ml bottle in bars and cafe's that is popular. cheers!
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