vs. 
Today, we feel that’s it’s our patriotic duty to depart from the every day discourse to answer a question that’s been on a lot of people’s minds: are we better off relying on the experience of the old guard, or should we take our chances on the newcomers?
Ok people, we’re not really going to talk politics here, but I think that in the context of the wine world, today is an appropriate day to pose an interesting question: can you get a better value from so-called “old world” wine (wines from Europe) or “new world” wine (everything else)?
We’ve picked two candidates that we feel represent the biggest stretch for the dollar on each side.
First up: Pascual Toso Malbec Maipu Valley 2006, a wine full of substance and personality that I bought at Costco for $8. The wonderful thing about this Malbec is that it’s so well balanced that the high quality is obvious from first sip no matter whether you’re using tried and true tasting techniques or just drinking it like a beer. Flavors are thick with dark berry and hints of tobacco, and the finish is savory and smooth. This is a big wine that makes a proportionally large footprint in the market for good value. As a bonus, they made a lot of it, so finding it should be relatively easy.
Now for our second candidate: Domaine Manoir Du Carra Beajolais Villages Nouveau 2007. Granted, I think that how enjoyable a Beaujolais Villages is depends upon the person, but if you haven’t tried one, it’s worth doing so if only to experience the strange interplay of sweet fruit with fresh earthiness. The Domain Manoir exemplifies the typically light bodied and food friendly wine: on the nose, I picked up strawberry and banana, and on entry I found those same flavors mixed with damp wood. For $9.99, it’s the highest quality old world wine we could find under $10, and it’s certainly nothing if not interesting.
The verdict? Well, for these two bottles, the Pascual Toso Malbec wins by a landslide, which I guess means that the new world wins the day! As for today’s political race, here’s hoping that your candidate fares just as well.
