Nov 15, 2010

Should You Judge a Wine By Its Label?

I love perusing wine labels in the LCBO & Vintages.  They come in all sorts of different sizes and styles.  Some are all business – just the facts – while some are cute, some are pretty, and some just catch your eye.  Then you start thinking of the marketing behind them.  If it has an animal on it, should I completely disregard it as a “novice wine”?  Conversely, if I see a “serious label” – straightforward, no-nonsense, no design – should I expect it to follow through as such?

When “critter wines” first began to infiltrate the wine market, I gave them a try.  I then quickly stopped giving them a try.  The ones I tried were never my style of wine, so I lumped them all together and said, “I don’t drink anything with an animal on it.”  For years I followed this rule: I would read intriguing reviews about a wine, go to the LCBO/Vintages to buy a bottle or two, see an animal on the label, and end up not buying it. 

Then I started to notice that the non-critter-labeled wines I was buying didn’t necessarily dictate a higher quality of wine.  Unless you have the same taste in wine as a wine writer, it’s really a crap shoot when you go to choose a wine, so why not go for something that looks cute, or pretty, or catches your eye?  Although I must confess, I still haven’t got to the point of purchasing a bottle with a free tube of lip gloss, a silhouette of stilettos, or any women’s apparel, for that matter.

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