Agua de Piedra Malbec is delicious, perfect for fancy occasions

Bottom of the Barrel: MD 20/20: an adult wine made of Kool-Aid & soap

With the holiday season upon us, we wish to remind you all of the importance of family and friends—those who support, cherish, and most of all love you. MD 20/20 will love you. It will greet you with a gentle kiss, a splash of color. It will whisper sweet nothings into your ear, grab you by the hair, and smash your nose into the sink. You will wake up in a bathtub full of ice, your kidney gone, and the empty bottle of Mad Dog Blue Raspberry faithfully by your side.
MD 20/20 is produced by Mogen “Shield of David” David in Westfield, N.Y. It’s made from Concord grapes, sugar, flavor and, we suspect, Scrubbing Bubbles toilet bowl cleaner for the color. We can only assume that it’s the terrifying love-child of the Kool-Aid man and a demonic bottle of Welch’s.
We sampled both the dragonfruit and blue raspberry flavors. We’ve never heard of wine pressed from Concord grapes, but the blue raspberry bottle was wearing a necklace that said “bling bling,” so we assumed it was a winner. Both pour vibrant neons: a highlighter left to soak in a glass of water. Light moves through the liquids lazily, the opacity hiding smudges on the glass, broken dreams or our dignity.

Bottom of the Barrel: Casa de Campo Moscato is juicy... Literally, it may be juice

Have you ever wondered what a gold medal tastes like? Or how about defeat? They say victory is sweet, but so is eating packets of Sweet & Low. While Ryan was in the oxymoronic state of “dry season” for swimming and attempting to win his own gold this week, I tried to find my answer through wine. I turned to the Fates to find me a new compatible columnar colleague. As the divine trumpets of a passing ambulance were faintly heard from Maine Street, my calls were answered as Sam Karson ’14 sauntered towards me. So now, glasses in hand, Sam and I shall venture forth to review the Casa de Campo 2012 Moscato.
Casa de Campo is a Moscato. Muscat grapes are tucked away in the northeastern region of Piedmont, Italy. The Muscat grape has both red and white varieties, but the Muscato wine is exclusively made from the white grape Muscat Blanc á Petits Grains variety. When wine is made using grapes specifically from the Piedmont region, it may be called a Moscato d’Asti or simply an Asti. However, the Casa de Campo is from Mendoza, Argentina and thus cannot receive such lexiconical labeling. Instead of a fancy name, our wine had an amateur painting of a cow. The artist decided to color the cow green, but apparently abandoned that idea halfway through the process, leaving the depiction of a cow in Astroturf stockings.
The first thing you recognize about the Casa (or as Sam and I like to affectionately call it, “The Big House”) is its rich golden color. It harkens back to memories of Brian Boitano or that Keystone Light you poured down the sink last Saturday when you told everyone you were going to shotgun it.

Bottom of the Barrel

Agua de Piedra Malbec is delicious, perfect for fancy occasions

This piece represents the opinion of the author:

January 30, 2014

Lingering outside is impossible in the cold weather that consumes Maine, so we have taken to the comfort of the great indoors.

In the midst of swirling eddies of cold air, we watch Drake shine bright through a MacBook in “Started from the Bottom.” He does not hashtag “polarvortex,” but rather throws his arms wide in the whirling snow, his all-white outfit shining in gaudy defiance. Winter will not shatter his soul. He’s flying low over Toronto in a jet borne on ketamine wings.

Welcome to the new year and the new us. We fancy up here. Who needs a $10/bottle price maximum? We’re moving up in the world.

And in the words of Drizzy himself, “started from the bottom, now the whole team here.”

This week, we sampled a 2013 Agua de Piedra Malbec. One of only six grape varietals allowed in red wines from the Bordeaux region of France, Malbec has found unblended success through cultivation in Argentina. Malbecs are generally dark and high in tannins, with a distinctive plumlike flavor.

Our Malbec poured a rich, dark red. It clung to the glass, a sure sign of high alcohol content. A quick label check confirmed: 13.7 percent. We were in business. The nose gave a hit of oak and earth with a touch of dark fruit. Sharp but loving; “50 Shades of Grey’s” Christian Grey in a bottle.

Agua de Piedra is a robust wine. The drink has an initial note of elderberry that slowly fades to a heavy tannic presence. Smooth in front and strong in back; our Malbec along with the mullet will lead this generation forward to greatness. The strong tannins make slower sipping with meat or pasta a must. Faster sipping without food would also work, but make sure you’re in a nice place like the library.

A heavy body supports the earth tones well. The weight is well-balanced, but would not be accompanied well by a strenuous activity like running. Speaking of sports, Super Bowl! Why not enjoy this nice Malbec while watching Seattle commit multiple counts of uncalled pass interference.

This hearty wine is perfect for those cold winter nights sitting alone waiting for her to text you. She leaned against the salad bar nearing the gherkins and told you she would get in touch when she figured out what she was up to for the night. Dinner was two hours, 36 minutes ago, but who’s counting? Maybe you shouldn’t have double texted her. Did you come off as too desperate? Should you triple text her? Go ahead. Do it. Or pour another glass of your 2013 Agua de Piedras Malbec and eat a gherkin.

Additional Notes:

Dan: Pours perfectly into wine glasses or water bottles that you take to H-L on a Tuesday night.

Nose: 3/5
Body: 4.5/5
Taste: 4/5

Pair with being the best corner in the game. Also, Hungarian beef and mushroom soup. $13.99 at the New Hampshire liquor store.

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