Enrique Toso

Proprietor, Pascual Toso Winery

Pascual Toso, founder of Pascual Toso winery in Mendoza, Argentina, emigrated from Piedmont to Argentina in 1880. During his first ten years there, he realized that there were good winemaking prospects in the country. Toso founded his estate in 1890, and it grew over the next several decades into a thriving wine enterprise.

Enrique and his brother Mario are fourth-generation descendants of Pascual Toso. Mario serves as vineyard manager and also consults for other wineries in his spare time, while Enrique oversees and runs the business and sales and marketing activities for Pascual Toso across the globe.

Unfortunately, the upheaval of the 1980s saw Argentina's wine business dry up. Despite some stumbles, the management team at Pascual Toso - comprised of brothers and owners Enrique & Mario Toso and winemaker Rolando Luppino - adapted to the new market realities. Among the changes was bringing in California guru Paul Hobbs as a consultant to help breathe new life into the wines. Toso and Luppino are still at the helm, continuing to produce some amazing wines.

Toso's estate vineyards total 630 acres and are planted to Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay. With its dry, stony soils and hot growing season, Toso's vineyards produce ripe, thick-skinned grapes with concentrated fruit and mineral flavors. The Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon are sleek and fruit-driven, while the Sauvignon Blanc crackles with lively grapefruit notes.

Pascual Toso has been named a top "Winery for Value" by the Wine Spectator, and is very popular with consumers, being carried on wine lists throughout the country. Many consumers recognize its distinctive orange label, and have come to seek out their Reserve lines of Malbec and Cabernet Sauvignon. Its top wine, "Magdalena", a malbec-based blend, is consistently one of the highest rated malbecs out of Argentina.

Enrique's passion for the land and his family's heritage shows in his every interaction with trade and consumers alike. By concentrating on the future while honoring the past, Pascual Toso is determined to keep the legacy of Pascual Toso alive.