Wine; and Sacre Bleu, which features
full-color QR codes front and center
on its labels. Football teams, such
as the Jets, Redskins and Chargers,
have official team wines. Ed Hardy
wines were inspired by the artistry
of “the godfather of modern tattoo.”
In Napa Valley, Judd’s Hill taps into
magic for two blends—a red Magic
and white Prestidigitation (that’s a
big word for magic tricks)—not to be
confused with Sleight of Hand Cel-
lars in Walla Walla, Washington.
We now have charity-driven
wines: One Hope; Montesquieu;
Wine to Water; Humanitas; Save
Me, San Francisco (in conjunction
with the rock band Train). Speaking
of music, House Jam and House
Band wines are designed specifically
for crossover appeal. And the micro-
targeted Moscato PM, from Banfi, was
created expressly for urban nightclubs.
Given America’s eco-conscious-
ness, surprisingly few wines directly
invoke the concept of “green”-ness
(
Parducci Sustainable Red, CalNatu-
rale, Vegan Vine are a few excep-
tions). Most organic and Biodynamic
producers already have established
brands, and are tweaking their
product lines. Interestingly, “natural
wines”—which have stirred much
controversy in the blogosphere—are
quite unaggressive in terms of pro-
moting their “nothing added, noth-
ing taken away” concept.
art meets marketing
While wine labels have certainly
gotten fancier over the past decade,
there has not been an explosion of
fine-art labels, perhaps because com-
missioning or licensing art can be ex-
pensive. One noteworthy exception
is the Kenwood Artist Series Caber-
net Sauvignon; 2008 (SRP $60) rep-
resents the 34
th
annual release and
outclasses many higher-priced Cabs.
Eric Kent is another Sonoma pro-
ducer that has managed to pair fine
art with high-end wine. Esporão re-
leases original-art labels for their red
and white Reserva blends each year;
these are among the best Portuguese
wines in the U.S.—and real values
at under $25 SRP.
There has been a wave of the-
matic wines aiming at female wine
consumers in recent years—Treasury
Wine Estates’ Be.; Deutsch Family’s
Flirt; DFV’s HandCraft; Beam’s Skin-
nygirl; Diageo’s Butterfly Kiss and
Rose‘N’Blum, to name a few. Some
brands take a consciously under-
stated approach, such as the Middle
Sister wines, Little Black Dress and
Cantina di Soave’s tongue-in-chic
Volére, which tucks a 1.5L bag into
a cardboard exterior that resembles
a purse. While women would seem
to be an excellent target audience,
research suggests that millennials in
Not by
Name
Alone
Scott Gerber, co-owner of Martin Scott
Wines based in Lake Success, NY, has
had a hand in launching three concept
wines. He’ll tell you that the hardest
part may be coming up with a name. It’s
one thing to have an “Aha!” moment; the
real trick, however, is coming up with a
name that hasn’t been used. Each of the
Martin Scott concepts benefits from a
very specific focus, supported by
double-entendre.
n
Seamless Cabernet features a
silkscreened graphic whose
elegant script wraps around
the bottle without a break,
reflecting the idea of a
perfectly balanced wine that
moves seamlessly from first
taste through mid-palate
through to the finish.
n
The North Fork
Project, a collaboration
with Pellegrini
Vineyards, plays off the
dual meaning of “fork,”
drawing attention both
to the terroir of Long
Island and the wine’s
food-friendly character.
n
The third idea hit
Gerber when he was
at a lavish wedding
that featured
plonkish wine. “I
do!” Cabernet and
Chardonnay are just
what the bride and
groom (and caterer) ordered, replete
with the wine’s own lighthearted vows
on the back and a place to write in a
“
tied the knot” date.
But as clever as these names may be,
Gerber is quick to note that in each case,
his partner, Martin Gold, told him: “If
the wine is no good, we’re not touching
it!” Fortunately, the wine is good—and
so are sales.
Hit ’em where it
counts.
Sex and
humor are used in all
sorts of consumer-
goods marketing—
why should wine be
any different?
CONCEPT WINES