Hottest Small Wine Brands of 2003

[Craig Camp]

Unique packaging: Putting a cartoon animal on the label seems to help sell wine. Most in the wine trade are familiar with Yellow Tail, the best selling brand from Australia that features a Wallaby on the label. Two other popular brands rely on animals: Toasted Head by R.H Phillips uses a fire-breathing bear while Leaping Horse, a brand produced by Ironstone Vineyards features a cartoon horse. A wine brand discussed in the article below relies on a 47-lb. rooster.

[birder53]

I confess to buying wine because I liked the label Smoking Loon and some other brand with an eagle's head on a kangaroo come to mind. I bought a bottle of Renwood for a friend because it had a picture of a wren on the lable and it was her favorite bird. However, repeat purchases are based upon taste, not labels, so there has to be more to the wine than just a pretty face.

[Schielke]

Sad but true, I even find myself succumb to this kind of marketing. Mostly this is because of a lack of knowledge. I like good wine, but I don't know how to effectively find good wine. I am just learning how to describe what I like about the wines I like.

The tough part about figuring out what is good is that the available information is a blend of marketing and real advice and you don't know which to believe.

Ben

[ivan]

Randall Grahm blazed this trail, bless his soul. And they don't even mention him by name.

[Schielke]

I dont remember the wine name but it had a monkey riding a whale on it. I did enjoy the wine too.

ben

[hollywood]

If you like art on your labels, there's Mouton Rothschild. http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Daily/Ne...45,2304,00.html

[Carolyn Tillie]

I used to adore Bonnie Doon's Le Cigare Volant because of its label -- with the image of a "flying cigar" above a winery.

The wine is not as good as it was 15 or 20 years ago...

[chromedome]

Wednesday I was at the travelling road show that California producers do every year, to promote their wines here in Canada.

My interest in wine having only recently gotten serious, there were many well-established wineries that I was not familiar with. There were two wines which caught my attention because of their art: Bonny Doon's "Cardinal Zin" and the aforementioned R H Phillips "Toasted Head Chardonnay."

The fire-breathing bear of "Toasted Head" was represented at the side of the table by a 6' carboard standup figure. I couldn't resist, I had to go and ask what it was about. I didn't taste that particular wine (I detest oaky, malic Chardonnays), but I did try their EXP Syrah; which I wouldn't have done without the bear.

In the case of the Bonny Doon, I was simply passing by their table and spotted the Ralph Steadman artwork on the label. Having spent many, many hours sniggering my way through Hunter S Thompson's books I was familiar with Steadman's work; and I reasoned that any winery cool enough to put him on their label deserved at least a moment of my attention. I liked the "Cardinal Zin," but I have no context for it as I've only had one or two glasses of Zinfandel in my life.

[Human Bean]

Interesting that this topic should come up - just yesterday, I had a cow-orker tell me that although he's not a big wine drinker, he's a sucker for an interesting label. I think he even mentioned one with a rooster; not sure if it was a 47 pound rooster though.

Personally, I don't particularly care about the label; some are certainly eye-catching, but I don't think I've ever purchased something unfamiliar just because a label looked particularly attractive.

And as for 'cartoon' animals on labels - two words: Joe Camel. How long will it be until the moralizing busybodies decide that cute animals on wine labels are leading youth to a life of drunken debasement [drunk in de basement??? ] and call for those labels to be prohibited?

[bilrus]

I think I must be unusual because I always assumed that if a wine label had crazy artwork on it that it must not be a serious wine. There goes another of my assumptions to make wine buying more difficult.

It is much easier deciding between Coke and Pepsi.

[winebill]

I used to adore Bonnie Doon's Le Cigare Volant because of its label -- with the image of a "flying cigar" above a winery.

The wine is not as good as it was 15 or 20 years ago...

You are right about that Carolyn. The old flying stogie used to be wonderful.

And.... Ole Georges Duboeuf sold a load of wine because of Flowers on the label

[Carema]

I dont remember the wine name but it had a monkey riding a whale on it.  I did enjoy the wine too.

ben

That was Dasche Cellars Zinfandel. Too bad their '01 sucks so bad.

Here is a true story:

We had the Hahn Merlot in the shop and I noticed an inordinate number of our gay customers buying this merlot. I said to the supplier

"Why such a loyal gay following?

He said to me "There's a cock on the label"

And I thought it was just a nice rooster.

[Craig Camp]

Where's the link to the rimshot?

[tcizma]

I dont remember the wine name but it had a monkey riding a whale on it. I did enjoy the wine too.

Since Carema has already correctly identified the wine as Dashe Cellars, I'll just add that the monkey looked like Curious George.

I'll also agree that the quality level from year to year and vineyard to vineyard has been inconsistent, although I thought the 01 "Todd Bros. Ranch" Zin was pretty good.

TC

cheftedcizma.com

[tcizma]

"There's a cock on the label"

Have you seen Rex Goliath wines?

TCcheftedcizma.com

[GG Mora]

I think the Three Thieves Zinfandel is a great looking bottle in every regard. Love the logo, love the friendly little jug, love the coloring. And at $9.99/litre, it's damned quaffable. I tried the TT Cabarnet last weekend and wasn't as taken with it. Even the packaging is a bit off – the purple label, clear jug and silver screw-top just aren't as appealing as the Zin's red label, green jug, black top combo.

I love Steadman's wine labels, too. And his Grapes of Ralph is a hilarious read.

[FrasierKrane]

I'm reticent to try "Old Fart" and Old Fart's wife wines, for obvious reasons, but they're sellers I suppose. I do like the Bonny Doon wines though. It was the marketing that threw me off to begin with, but a closer look had me wanting to taste the Big House Red and I enjoyed it.

Frasier

[KatieLoeb]

The Cigare in the 'Cigare Volant' label is actually a Flying Saucer IIRC.

The Big House wines, with the photo of the knotted bedsheets coming out of the penitentiary window is a classic example of the odd sensibility at Bonny Doon.

Bonny Doon has some of the best marketing and labels in the business. And unlike most of the other cleverly labeled products, the wines can stand up to the scrutiny as well.

[markabauman]

Here's the link to an article about "Goats do Roam". The French, alas, are not amused.:

http://www.decanter.com/news/47909.html

[paul mitchell]

Le Cigare Volant came about in jest to an actual law in Bourdeaux that disallows flying saucers. If you get a kick out of the Bonny Doon wines please check out their annual newsletter on their webpage. It is a riot and more akin to an anarchist's prophecy than a newsletter on wine.

[KatieLoeb]

Le Cigare Volant came about in jest to an actual law in Bourdeaux that disallows flying saucers. If you get a kick out of the Bonny Doon wines please check out their annual newsletter on their webpage. It is a riot and more akin to an anarchist's prophecy than a newsletter on wine.

Paul:

I'm on the e-mil list and look forward to each newsletter. Anarchist's prophecy is an understatement. The mad ramblings of a brilliant, but lunatic winemaker is more like it. It would make even the Unabomber feel upstaged by contrast.