Yes. I have bought bottles of wine purely on the strength of the label. Are you listening marketers? I'm highly susceptible to an appealing graphic or a well-turned name.
Standing in the wine cellar at Greenblatt's earlier this year, I spied a $15 bottle of BITCH. I was overcome by the NEED to purchase this wine, which I'd never heard of much less tasted, for my friend Debbie, who both loves wine and is indeed a bitch. As I suspected, she loved it. Perhaps not so much for its taste as for the spirit in which it was given.
And there's the rub with wine marketing: a clever label or name will win a customer once. But if the wine inside proves to be swill, there will be no repeat customers.
Fortunately, there are a lot of wines with party names out there that I have yet to try. Here are a few that most pique my interest.
Used Automobile Parts sounds like a wine I could get into — gritty and hard — with undertones of the working class. Except that at $50 a bottle, nobody in my tax-bracket can afford it. Guess those wine snobs have a sense of humor sometimes.
The guy who created Vin de Merde (shit wine) definitely had a sense of humor. The winemaker in the Languedoc region of France, created it to prove a point – that his region's wines aren't medal-winners, but they aren't that bad, either. His first production sold out. He doubled the price of his next batch, and that sold out too.
No doubt the guys who make my personal favorite, Two-Buck Chuck (or Charles Shaw, sold at Trader Joe's nationwide for $1.99) were watching Vin de Merde's success.
There's the successful line of Fat Bastard wines.
Here's another one I am compelled to love, and would buy merely on principle: Big Ass shiraz.
Mad Housewife is a wine whose name I can get behind, even though I don't qualify to be called at least one of those descriptors (guess which one?) And I just love her subhead: What's domestic bliss without a little wine? Yes! Excellent question! One I can raise my glass to!
OK. I open this up. What's your favorite wine label?
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..there’s also “3 Blind Moose” wine which is somewhat attention-grabbing…/ Due to my age, I suppose “Used Automobile Parts” would be an apposite reading of me.
Heard from Debbie yet?
double dog dare? Have 2 dogs who play this game. Wine is so-so, but shows up cheap on the radar. May buy again for friends who know our dogs.
Lol, love all the labels! BUT as the self proclaimed Mad Housewife Tennessee Babe I’m tipping my glass to domestic bliss!!
Where can I buy Mad Housewife wine??? I would be set for gift giving!
I’m sure BevMo would have it…otherwise, check this link: http://www.madhousewifecellars.com/Find/find.html
Since it’s the spooky season Vampire Vineyards catches my eye. I grew up on them so I would totally buy AC/DC’s wine if it were sold in the US. Finally, I’m a Beatles fan and therefore a sucker for Penny Lane. Wow, I’m a total sucker for a label.
there was one called Big Red Monster that was reasonably priced, delicious, and made me into a big red monster.
That’s sort of what you hope for in a cheap wine, no? 😉