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The next time you see a wine display, take a minute to observe the wide variety of labels. Wineries, particularly some in California, use eye-catching branding to lure buyers. Vintners all pay attention to the contents of the bottle, but the Californians now market 'outside the bottle.' You will see at least six different branding ideas.

First, notice the distinctive winery names. Imagine wineries named Smoking Loon, Frogs' Leap, Leaping Lizard, Wild Horse, Snob Hill and Epiphany. There's even Red Car, Red Flyer, and Red Zeppelin. You can also buy wine produced by Dog House, Toad hall, or Donkey & A Goat! Some consumers will buy the wine simply because of the weird winery name. There seems to be a rough inverse relationship between a winery's quirky name and the quality of the wine in the bottle. Crazy names can denote a drinkable, yet pedestrian wine.

Second, some use the name of the wine to catch the buyer's attention. A distinctive or cute name can boost sales of an otherwise mundane vintage. Some that come to mind are Sin Zin, a red zinfandel from Alexander Valley Vineyards; White Lie by Beringer Blass; Menage a Trois by Folie a Deux; Dancing Bull by Rancho Zabaco; and California Bandit produced, of course, by the Three Thieves winery!

Third, pick out some of the splashy and colorful labels that attract your eye. Several wineries illustrate their labels with modern art. Clos Pegase, Benziger, and Ferrari-Carano catch your attention with art, creating the impulse to purchase their wine. Far Niente employs large labels with lots of shiny gold to impress you with their offering. The higher-than-average price will also tend to convince a casual consumer that the wine will be to everyone's liking...and it usually pleases.

                Sample wine labels show attention-getting art and color.

Fourth, some producers with single vineyard products like to feature unique vineyard names to promote their wine. You will see vineyard names like Mink, French Camp, Saralee's, Mt. Carmel, Firepeak, Sangiacomo,Quarry, Belle Terre, Bosche, Out-of-Sight, Sunny Slope, Clos Pepe, and Three Sisters. Sometimes, a vineyard consistently produces extraordinary wine and is an important guide to the informed buyer. In other cases, the single vineyard designation is immaterial and is just used to impart the impression of high quality to an otherwise average bottle. 

Fifth, many wineries simply depend on a well-established name and consistent reputation to gain repeat consumers. When the customer sees the brand name, he or she will immediately conclude that the wine will be better than average to outstanding. Some wineries that come to mind include Caymus, Freemark Abbey, Raymond, Rombauer, Whitehall Lane, Cakebread, and Vincent Arroyo. The labels tend to be consistent in size and color. The idea is to make their wines easily recognizable to the repeat buyer.

Sixth, there is the snob appeal of signature or celebrity wines. Opus One carries the signatures of Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild on an eye-catching label. This joint venture between a famous French wine house and a famous California producer commands a premium price. The 2002 vintage now being sold rated 86 (very good) and retails for $170 per bottle. Freemark Abbey's 2001 Bosche Vineyard Cabernet also rates 86, but sells for $65. Franciscan's 2002 Napa Valley Cabernet is also rated 86 and can be bought for $27. The extra price for Opus One can be attributed to the snob appeal of drinking a signature California wine produced in the ancient French Bordeaux style. Neibaum-Coppola features the name of Francis Coppola to help market their products. Other celebrity names like Fess Parker, Firestone, Andretti, and Arnold Palmer can be seen on California wine bottles.

Finally, some vintners have developed a cult-like following among wine aficionados and collectors. Their wines are expensive and generally hard to find in most stores. Grace Family, Screaming Eagle, and Harlan Estate are often considered 'cult wines.' The wines are world class, rating 95 and above by Wine Spectator. They are designed to age for years and improve in quality. The free publicity these vintners receive from wine publications and the annual multi-million dollar auctions means that they sell everything they produce at sky-high prices.

The French focus on chateau names and appellations, based on strict government regulations. Their labels tend to look similar to each other and to confuse the average American wine buyer. Can you say Chateau L'Eglise Clinet? How about Chateau Beausejour Duffau-Lagraosse? I can say Chateau Lafite Rothschild and Chateau Latour, but frankly I'm not one to pay $150-200 a bottle to go with my dinner! Why bother with all that gobbledy-gook on their labels when I can enjoy a California wine from a vintner I've visited of equal rating? I consider myself an aficionado, but not a wine snob.

Wines from other parts of Europe tend to follow the French. Italian, German, and Austrian wines feature family crests and distinct appellations on similar looking labels. You will see some interesting bottle shapes and sizes when you check the Italian Chianti's. The Italians use the bottles themselves to help market the wine inside.

The Australians are beginning to experiment with marketing 'outside the bottle. Greg Norman is the best known 'celebrity' wine from Australia. Little Penguin wine is now in American wine shops, as is Two Hands, Bird in Hand, Cockatoo Ridge, Fetish, Innocent Bystander, Mad Fish, and Wandering Wallaby. I predict you also will see flashier labels on Aussie wines in the future. Greg Norman and other Australian producers are now joint-venturing with California vintners and producing some very drinkable stuff. They are also picking up new marketing ideas. I've noticed some cute Aussie wine names and catchy vineyard designations lately.

We're already planning another trip to the California vineyards for early next year. The 2005 California vintage is reported to be one of the best and most prolific in recent years, thanks to near-perfect weather conditions. Perhaps, we'll get to barrel taste some of the 2005's that will be bottled this year and next! On an earlier trip, one of our hosts quipped, "There are only three tastes in the whole world...I like it, I don't like it, and it tastes like chicken." When it comes to wine, I must respectfully disagree. I find that each wine has a little something different to offer, something delightfully new to experience. I suppose that explains my eager anticipation every time I lift another glass.
 

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> Wants to develop a more productive marketing program, or

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