When we go to purchase Wine there are situation that we don't know what do you want, and often there are people who want to buy a bottle of wine without knowing anything what they like. A large number of people still don't know various grapes and the wine and style. Therefore they would never go to established wine store and rather end up going to supermarket where the basic wines are available.
While making a purchase of wine at a good wine store, or maybe at the duty-free shops, but the problem remains still the same, What do we buy?
This is where they select either the basics and bastardised entry level wines or a bootle which is good looking. This is the story that happens to many people who do not know much about wines.
When it comes to professionals, they always know what they want, what is the occasion and what what fits in their pocket.
However when they do it as a part of their Job, they would often have some wine labels which makes them a storyteller. Because, What sells is a Story!
Winemaker would always do their R&D and decide on the labels because it matters and this is what catches the eye. However all the establishes winemakers do not not change their labels that often because its the Name that sells for them.
Legendary wines from Baron Philippe de Rothschild, 1st growth of Bordeaux - , changes their label with each vintage. Collectors knows them by the label rather then vintage.
There are no evidence if this idea is being copied, because a lot of wine makers change their labels with each vintage.
Another great example is from Australia, Margaret River district Western Australia, Leeuwin Estate, Art Series. They follow the similar practice with their wines, however frequency of vintage is faster than the Mouton Rothschild.
However they say they are all hand painted and they have multiple variants. One of the early pioneers of Western Australia's Margaret River wine region, Leeuwin Estate quickly became famous for its now iconic Art Series Chardonnay, after being ranked top in a Decanter tasting 40 years ago. Sarah Ahmed takes a look at the portfolio and reviews 22 wines, including the new Art Series releases of 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon. 2019 Chardonnay and Shiraz and 2021 Riesling.
Another producer from South Australia McLaren Vale called d'Arenberg is known to make some really good label. Name on the label refers to something which one can never forget, and a sommelier loves to speak of those.
The Dead Arm Shiraz - Dead Arm is a vine disease caused by the fungus Eutypa Lata that randomly affects vineyards all over the world. Often affected vines are severely pruned or replanted. One half, or an 'arm' of the vine slowly becomes reduced to dead wood. That side may be lifeless and brittle, but the grapes on the other side, while low yielding, display amazing intensity.
The Laughing Magpie - The Kookaburra is a native Australian bird famous for its distinctive laughing call, Chester's young daughters named them 'Laughing Magpies'. The Magpie plumage is black with a stripe of white feathers.
The Broken Fishplate - Despite being a good match for fish, the name has nothing to do with them! A fishplate is a term for the nylon plates that collect grape bunches on a harvester, and often break when navigating around the steep, windy vineyards.
Now as the title of the article says, one of my favourite - Bibi Graetz. This gentleman has taken the game to another level, but what can you expect when its an Italian wine maker. Its normal.
Bibi Graetz’s wines- Bibi Graetz wines are born from 80 hectares of old vines, scattered throughout Tuscany. Bibi Graetz wines are however always built with a base of lightness and play, but a game where the wine tradition and attention to processing are inspired by a great spirit of self-denial.
The Labels
Casamatta - Means Crazy House
Testamatta - Means Crazy Head
Soffocone di Vincigliata - Means Blowjob, and the inspiration of the blend he got while he was getting one in the castle of Vincigliata.
by Gaurav Dixit
3rd October 2023
Comentarios