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Wine Picks for March 24

March 24, 2009

The other day—one of those really nice days—we grilled some fresh salmon.  We hadn’t done much to it except add salt and pepper, preferring to let the smoke flavor the flesh.  Well, we had a nice-sized piece left over and decided to make a spread. We were having some friends over for drinks prior to an evening out, and this seemed a good (and economical) use of leftovers.

We combined two packages of room temperature cream cheese with the salmon in the bowl of our stand mixer.  We added a splash of fresh lemon juice, some salt and pepper, and turned the mixer on medium.  Presto, a delicious, slightly savory spread for any cracker.  We added some nuts and olives to the table and just as the doorbell rang, opened a bottle of Toso Brut sparkling wine.  Nothing speaks of hospitality like a good sparkling wine, and in this economic climate, Toso Brut is a good value that “speaks” with confidence.

For more than 85 years, Toso has been producing estate-bottled sparkling wine in the Mendoza region of Argentina.  The pale yellow color—with just a hint of green—sparkles with small bubbles.  The flavor is round and ever so slightly buttery (but still dry) with lemon, apple, and peach.  It has a lovely finish.

It was only after finishing a second bottle that we headed for our favorite restaurant.  Both the spread and the wine were a big hit.  Available locally for around $15.