I generally let my mood dictate what to do with freebies, and donate a lot of them to charitable organizations for dinners and fund-raising events. Every now and then, though, I'll find one interesting and pull a cork, although I generally won't rate an unsolicited freebie in the 30 Second Wine Advisor even if I try it.I figure you guys won't mind, though, if I drop in a quickie report here. This wine, a new Argentine Malbec, caught my eye because of the wacky bottle (which I'll photograph later by daylight and post below). It features a large number "1" molded in raised glass painted bronze, with two trompe l'oeil rivets sticking out, giving the appearance of a heavy bronze numeral fixed to the glass. It's a big, heavy bottle, too, a sure sign of pretentiousness.
The wine's oaky and New World, high in alcohol, and yet, surprisingly enough, Mary and I liked it well enough to take short refills during dinner. Not sure of the suggested retail price - I probably pitched the unsolicited PR papers
- but Wine-Searcher.com shows it ranging all the way from $15 to $24, which suggests broad regional variation in what the market will bear. That almost sounds like a subject for a business school case study. 
"Uno" ("1") 2008 Mendoza Malbec ($15-$24)
Inky dark purple with a reddish-violet edge. Blackberries and blueberries and coconut on the nose, perhaps the legacy of eight months in French and American oak. Black fruit and toast on the palate, dry and tart, ample acidity and, as the long finish fades, rather harsh tannins. There's some presence of alcohol at 14.4%, but it's within reason and not too potent to fail as a food wine; it's decent with robust fare. U.S. importer: Cork Alliance Inc., Coral, Fla. (Nov. 21, 2010)
FOOD MATCH: One bottle shared with friends at a dinner with a potluck dish, an upscale variation on Sloppy Joes, both meat and veggie. The other bottle tonight with spaghetti with meat sauce.
Producer: Antigal Winery & Estates, Mendoza, Argentina.
