As a grocery store wine buyer, I am always on the lookout for wines with unique and interesting labels. They look great on the shelf and especially when stacked by the case. (If the wine comes in an equally cool box with similar graphics, I practically swoon.) Generally I dread labels that are too busy and/or corny, or ones that were created by a relative of the winery owner. Having a family member design a wine label based on their folksy, amateurish art is like loaning them money: never a good idea.
I absolutely love the domino label of the Siete. It's clean, unique, and reinforces the name of the wine. You've got to pick it up and look at it! I wish I was a domino enthusiast so I could bring it to a tournament; it might even inspire me to play. (I also wish it had a talking label that would play a certain domino-inspired Ice Cube quote from Boyz in the Hood that is too profane for fair Foodista. I suggest you find it on YouTube.)
And lest you think I'm all surface and no substance, I must tell you that the wine is delicious. It's a Tempranillo/Garnacha blend from the Navarra region of Spain, and is certified organic. I also like that it's unoaked so you don't get beat up by aggressive vanilla extract flavors that oak barrels can impart. I don't think oak is the devil, but I find unoaked reds to be very pure and refreshing. And much better with food. The Siete would be great with chicken or pork, maybe with an nice zesty spice rub and some char from the grill.
So what gets your attention (or your goat) when it comes to wine labels?
Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago, where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries, five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He'd rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.
Comments
February 11, 2010
Alisa!
widget added to the doughnut muffins with a surprise, thanks so much for commenting!
February 11, 2010
Jameson, you aren't the only one who loves seeking out beautiful wine label design! In fact, I loved it so much that after working in the design and ad industry for over 10 years, I found myself gravitating towards marrying two of my favourite subjects: wine and design, in a book that will be on the shelves this August, 2010. After interviewing over 150 winemakers and graphic designers, and doing extensive research on every subject under the sun that connects a wine with its label and represents the people, places, history and personal anecdotes associated with the wine, my book tells the stories and showcase over 200 stunning labels all chosen for their unique ability to stop you in the aisles, find out more and then urges you to take a sip!
For anyone interested, the book is entitled 'The Art and Design of Contemporary Wine Labels', penned by myself, Tanya Scholes and with a foreword graciously written by Michael Mondavi.
More information is available here:
http://www.amazon.com/Art-Design-Contemporary-Wine-Labels/dp/1595800468
Thanks for posting on the subject so close to my heart!
t.
February 17, 2010
[...] Label Lust: Siete [...]
March 2, 2010
It's true! I can't tell you how many people choose their wine on the label alone! When I used to work for a wine magazine, we were trying to figure out the best way to study the trend. But everyone seems to have such different visual tastes that a bottle that really grabs one person totally turns off another.
This is the kind of bottle I would keep in my room to hang bangles on though! I need to see if I can track down a bottle...and extra points because it is tasty, of course.
March 24, 2010
[...] Label Lust: Siete [...]
April 19, 2010
[...] Label Lust: Siete [...]
May 12, 2010
[...] note: I was very tempted to make this wine my second entry in the Label Lust series. French wine labels can be so old-fashioned, and the 20 is on the opposite end of the [...]