Sangre De Toro Wine: Don't Let the Bull Deceive You

Late Saturday, during a walk on Mission and Cesar Chavez in San Francisco, I stopped into Cafe Arguello. It's a Gypsy-style restaurant that features cuisine from northern regions of Spain.

The sounds of a live flamenco guitarist filled the room as I sat at the bar with my man friend. We pondered over the wine list.

Sangre de Toro, a Spanish wine, piqued my interest, and some savory swigs later, I asked to see the bottle. To my dismay, the bottle was adorned with a tiny toy bull.

"Whose great idea was it to place a dangling toy bull on the bottle?" I thought. "Who would take this seriously on the store shelf?"

Don't let the facade fool you. Its sweet blend of spice, fruit and licorice is a pallet pleaser and is perfectly paired with old-world paella and ahi.