Art in Label Design

Aside from what’s in the bottle, the label is a window to a wine’s content. Of course labeling laws dictate exactly what information has to be displayed on a wine bottle. Beyond that, it’s all about art. Millions of dollars a year are spent on label design. Graphic and fine artists are often hired to create distinctive, works of art for wines. Many, like the labels of 1^st growth, red Bordeaux, Mouton Rothschild, have become collector items and the original works of art worth a fortune. Numerous wine competitions actually have an award or medal for best label design. The truth of the matter is a poor label can negatively affect wine sales as many consumers buy their favourite imbibe by what the label looks like.

Music & Wine

Some recent research suggests that music can alter wines’ taste as to how aggressive or soft it comes across depending on the type of music played while sipping it. I’m not sure if the results are conclusive enough, but perhaps what we can conclude is that certain grape varieties and wine styles will probably be enjoyed more with certain types of music because of similarities. How about Champagne or bubbly with classical, Sauvignon Blanc with rap, Riesling with folk and Chardonnay with pop? Or what about Cabernet Sauvignon or red Bordeaux with rock & roll, Syrah or Shiraz with heavy rock, Merlot with jazz and Pinot Noir or red Burgundy with opera? I believe some serious research of our own is in order here.

How Restaurants Can Increase Wine Sales

Certain restaurants are just more wine savvy than others. They do many things to help improve sales. First of all they have regular tastings with their wait staff so they can taste the wines and discuss food matches off their menus. Sometimes they feature a wine of the week at a special price. Often displays around the eatery showcase specific selections. Occasionally, tent cards placed on every table or flyers slipped into menus promote some. A great way is to actually put wine suggestions next to each item or entrée on the food menu. As most consumers are intimidated by ordering wine in a restaurant, anything an eatery can do to make the job easier is welcome and will increase sales.

Wine & Global Warming

Global warming seems to be THE buzz topic these days. A reduced ozone layer is playing havoc with our weather worldwide, not only altering normal conditions, but providing extremes. Like so many aspects of agriculture, wine growing is also affected. Normally, grapes for wine grow between 30º and 50º, north and south of the equator. Now, those boundaries are being stretched. Places that couldn’t grow grapes at all, now can. Varieties previously not able to grow in certain parts of the world, today flourish. Perhaps most affected are alcohol levels as grapes’ higher sugar content result in substantially higher alcohol in the finished wine. What’s next…wines being grown in Alaska!

Old Vines

Occasionally a wine label will state that the wine within is made from old vines, like “Old Vine Zinfandel”. What up with that? After grape vines reach a certain age they start to produce less fruit, but the quality of that fruit is better. Most of the time they are pulled up and new ones planted, because they produce so little and the additional work required to maintain them, just doesn’t make it worthwhile. Some producers, however, choose to keep these vines and continue to make wine from them and since the quality of fruit is better, so is the wine. But guess what? The limited production and excess work involved is passed on to the consumer in the cost of the wine, so they’re more expensive.

Malbec

What’s one of hottest wines on the planet at the moment? That would be Malbec. This flagship varietal from Argentina is very undervalued in the market today. One of the traditional grapes used in red Bordeaux blends, Malbec has characteristics that fall somewhere between Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. It has a deep colour almost like inky blueberry, softer tannin, and a particular blackberry/plum. mocha, spicy character. It’s reasonably priced and is generally not real long-lived, but it is extremely food-friendly. Check it out with beef; pork; grilled tuna, salmon or halibut; roast poultry or spicy Mexican dishes. Great with empanadas! Guaranteed to please, try it once and you’ll be hooked. Enjoy!

2006 Brunello

Brunello, born around the hilltop village of Montacino, is perhaps Tuscany’s most famous red wine based on the Sangiovese grape. By law, it must be aged two years in oak and at least four months in bottle (6 months for Riservas) and cannot be released until January 1st of the 5^th year after the harvest (6^th year for Riservas). Recently in Tuscany, I tasted almost all the ‘06s and I must tell you, this vintage is a gem. Rich, toasted cherry, leather, tar and cedar abound. All are solidly structured. The consortium there awarded it 5 out of 5 stars. Could be one of the best vintages ever…maybe even better than the great ‘04s! You’ll want to stock up on these babies for the cellar when they start to make the scene.