WineLabels

Oggau Estate 'Family Clan' Wines

Filed under: Wine

Wine labels can say a lot about the wine inside, and they're certainly a great opportunity for artistic and creative expression, but Oggau Estate Wine has taken wine labeling to a whole new level. The Oggau Estate in Austria produces 9 varieties of wine, all of varying ages and characteristics, and what started as simply giving each wine a face, name, and 'personality' to help the drinker identify the wine inside (younger faces equals younger, lighter wine while older faces equal more aged varieties) eventually grew into something much more complex. The wines now not only have faces, names, and personalities, but also relationships and stories with each other as they've become a family of children, parents, and grandparents. The wines have grown popular in Austria for both their quality and for the novelty of being able to collect the entire 'family clan.'

Gallery: The 9 Oggau Family Clan Wines

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Tags: family, oggau, wine, wine labels, WineLabels

European Union Extends U.S. Wine Restrictions

by Laura Malesich (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

After twenty years of grappling over the trade agreement between winemakers in Europe and the U.S., 2005 marked the beginning of a somewhat peaceful understanding between the two markets -- with a few conditions. At that time the words 'Champagne', 'Burgundy', 'Port' and 'Sherry' were no longer allowed to be used in America. Just this past month the EU added another restriction to American winemakers' verbage. Wines bearing these words on their labels will no longer be sold in Europe:

'chateau', 'classic', 'clos', 'cream', 'crusted/crusting', 'fine', 'late bottled vintage', 'noble', 'ruby', 'superior', 'sur lie', 'tawny', 'vintage' or 'vintage character.'

Bureaucracy at its finest. I certainly understand protecting rights to regions but not simple words with more than a location's name at heart.

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Tags: american wine, AmericanWine, EU, europe, wine label, wine labels, wine language, WineLabel, WineLabels, WineLanguage

Wine Labels Get Crazy

by Rigel Celeste (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wine

The wine industry is a competitive one, because although you always know which ones you like there are just so many different brands and tastes out there it's totally fun to experiment and find new favorites on a regular basis. And research has shown that for wine particularly, labels are where the sale is at. Today not only do wine labels have to look good and be eye-catching, but they have to feel good too. Apparently, in the store people are more likely to buy wine that they've touched.

So the answer? Some brands are setting themselves apart with labels that encourage a totally visual and/or hands-on wine buying experience. Carneros della Notte labels glow in the dark, Molly Dooker's Velvet Glove Shiraz has a glove made of actual velvet for a label, and several Brunello di Montalcino wine labels have chips embedded in them "so they can explain themselves in the first person."

Does this make sense to you? Have you ever bought wine just because of the label?

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Tags: brunello di montalcino, BrunelloDiMontalcino, carneros della notta, CarnerosDellaNotta, labels, molly dooker, MollyDooker, wine, wine labels, WineLabels