We Drink With Our Eyes

I'm a serious label whore. And wine bottle labels are not exempt. As someone who's supposed to know wines, I would've never admitted that... until I saw I'm not the only one... and it didn't take long to find out that my fellow winos are a lot like me.

It happened the first sales appointment I went on. The guy told me they were only looking for wines that were 120-130/case. So I searched through my stash and found the price points he was looking for. But one problem: The label looked like it was straight out of the '70s (I actually remember wine labels looking like that when I was a kid). And he said although the guy's Chard was tasty, the artist types in the area wouldn't go near it... because of the label.

As I continue to fine-tune my wine book, bottle label is just as important as taste. Jack Wines, for example, has a great label. See for yourself: www.jackwines.com. And going back to wine as a hobby, the graphic designer who created his label is the proprietor of Banknote Wine Company... http://banknotewines.com/

Both are good wines at affordable prices. But one thing you should know is that labels *can* fail you. I made the mistake of purchasing a 30 dollar bottle of wine to enjoy with a friend. It was a tie between two wines... I chose the one with the fancier label. Boy did I pay for that (literally and figuratively). The wine tasted like crap... and I was embarassed.

As for the guy who had the not-so-stylish label, I had to tell him I was having a tough time showing his wines because of it. He actually wasn't aware there was a problem. Who knows whether he'll change it.

Regardless, label may not be the only attention grabber. The wine's name is another. I may soon be representing a wine called Midlife Crisis Winery. Unfortunately that label doesn't have the picture of a sports car on it. But that just goes to show... whether the label (or the name) peeks your interest... just like we eat with our eyes... we drink with our eyes too.