So what do these names have in common:
Overthinker/ DangerousBirds/ Veracity/ Sciatic/ OnTheRoad/ HighRoad/ Sticks&Stones/ Maven/ Rubystone/ SUMO/ TheBanshee/ BullByTheHorns/ HandOverFist/ ElHombre/ HeadHoncho/ Ingenuity/ TheMuldoon/ Nemesis/ Screwball/ CasualEncounters/ Resurrection/ S&M/ Authenticity/ TimeCapsuleDetente/ Odeon/ Unscripted/ Akasha/ Avenger/ TheTranscendentalist/Renegade/ Mordecai/ Celestus/ JerseyGirl/ Smoke&Mirrors/SteelPlow/ Gesture/Tomboy/ Kissin’CousinsWhite4/ CallToArms ???
They are all cutsey names for various Calif Rhone varietals & blends.
And it seems that Paso is the focus point for all these cutsey names.
Obviously, SQN was probably the originator of this tedious/tiresome trend. Do these winemakers think that, by using these cutsey names, some of the SQN aura will rub off on them?
I’m sure that these winemakers are so proud of themselves for inventing these cutsey names and behind each one lies a very profound and engaging story. So how many winedrinkers bother to look up or remember that story???
It’s all a bit tedious and tiresome for my mind. I think we should all rise up and help stamp out this boring trend.
End of my Sunday afternoon rant for 2/19/12.
Tom (more than a bit cranky and pee-o’d after reading his latest WineSphincter)
It seems this is more prevalent with the types of wines that taste great but have no widespread varietal recognition from the mass consumer. The brand identity of the cute name sticks with the grab-and-go customer at the World Market. If a little bit of Manfred’s aura rubs off on you too, well, I suppose that’s a plus for many of these outfits as well. It has a repulsive effect on me unless the story is really good. I figure that if you need to bait the consumer with an eye/ear catcher, you’re trying to differentiate with something that isn’t going into my glass (and I infer that you therefore lack differentiation in your product where I think it will count).
To make sure that the Rhone folks aren’t totally left alone here, lets not forget some longstanding offenders, er brands, from other sources…Sin Zin, Cupcake Cabernet/Chardonnay, Layer Cake Shiraz (actually like the explanation of this one better than the association with cake), and so on.
One I actually liked to end on a positive note… Rat Race Red from Oregon’s Redhawk Vineyard (literally just over the hill from Evesham Wood and once connected by a walking path to facilitate visiting both with one park of the car). I recall this was a Gamay/Pinot blend but I may be mistaken on that. It was a great $6 alternative when I was cutting my teeth on wine. They also had some groaners in their cutesy label lineup - Chateau Mootom, Great White, Grateful Red (very popular in Oregon amongst the Deadheads), and apparently some more recent ones including Donner Party, Punk Floyd, and Bigfoot Blend. They embrace the genre, but also maintain it as an entry offering, distinct from their other wines.