What's in a label

"Emery Davis" in news: snipped-for-privacy@address.com...

A friend teaches marketing psychology at a US university. (For many years she has watched television professionally, for example; with an unusual twist: she silences the programs, and attends only the advertisements. Gathering relevant examples for her courses etc.) She talks about this sort of thing. It's expert psychology.

Back when US Chardonnays were exploding in popularity in the US markets (around 1981 -- possibly related to the John Anderson presidential campaign and the ascendancy of "Brie-and-Chablis Liberals," a catch phrase at the time) -- this was when the now-clichéd Chardonnay over-oakiness was still novel -- an article appeared about the label art business (I might still have it stashed somewhere). Upshot: retail shelves were crowded with me-too wines, and the way for a me-too wine to sell itself was with classy label art. To this end, certain artists had established themselves as effective, and it was understood that whoever met their price obtained higher sales. (Sort of like those high-powered labor-dispute lawyers whose services both sides bid for. It being understood that whoever secures the counsel will checkmate the dispute.)

To answer your question personally, Emery, I like understated labels as used lately in Burgundy by the Gros family, Domaine Arlaud, Dujac, quite a few people. Recently though, at a 2003 Germans tasting, I saw a beautiful classic German label on a couple of Schloss Johannisberger 375 ml's (the

Cheers -- Max

I pay a lot of attention to label design and find the subject facinating. When considering a wine I have no knowledge of, I tend to be attracted to labels that are elegant and simple or traditional in the European sense. Flashy labels usually put me off, although they occasionally work -- for example, I like the Rex Goliath label and the whimsical edginess of some of the Bonny Doon's . Of course, sometimes I like the label better than the wine, in which case I don't buy it again. Or I may avoid a kitschy label, later to discover that a decent wine is behind it.

I agree. But, as you indicate, it is a tendency and certainly not a rule.

Andy

Labels have vanishingly little to do with what is in the bottle, IMHO. For the most part, labels seem correlated to what the winery *wants* you think think is in the bottle.

Oh, that's what you said, isn't it?

Sober, elegant, understated labels - anyone can do these.

I admit, when browsing in the supermarket, I'm a sucker for eye-catching labels. Sometimes I even buy wine because it's got an eye-catching label - and a price tag below $15. Frankly, these $15-below wines with eye-catching labels seem to please me more often than the $60-above wines with elegant labels.

Of course, I'm just relating what's worked for me. My own whims may have nothing to do with yours :-).

Cheers! Dana

] "Emery Davis" in news: snipped-for-privacy@address.com... [] ... ] > What is it about a label, for a bottle you've never heard about, ] > that makes you indulge an impulse? ] ] ] A friend teaches marketing psychology at a US university. (For many years ] she has watched television professionally, for example; with an unusual ] twist: she silences the programs, and attends only the advertisements. ] Gathering relevant examples for her courses etc.) She talks about this sort ] of thing. It's expert psychology. ]

. One of the few things I miss about the Bay Area (apart some wines of course) is Tivo. Your friend just needs a reverse Tivo.

] Back when US Chardonnays were exploding in popularity in the US markets ] (around 1981 -- possibly related to the John Anderson presidential campaign ] and the ascendancy of "Brie-and-Chablis Liberals," a catch phrase at the ] time) -- this was when the now-clichéd Chardonnay over-oakiness was still

Ah yes, those innocent days, practically communist days. When it was still considered patriotic to be a member of the ACLU (whether or not you actually carried the card about with you.)

] novel -- an article appeared about the label art business (I might still ] have it stashed somewhere). Upshot: retail shelves were crowded with me-too ] wines, and the way for a me-too wine to sell itself was with classy label ] art. To this end, certain artists had established themselves as effective, ] and it was understood that whoever met their price obtained higher sales. ] (Sort of like those high-powered labor-dispute lawyers whose services both ] sides bid for. It being understood that whoever secures the counsel will ] checkmate the dispute.) ]

Fascinating. I had no idea this was the case in the CA industry, although I don't suppose it surprises me. I suppose like most east coast wine drinkers of the time, CA was scarcely a blip on my radar. I had only been into wine in a serious way for a few years, but I remember the (then excellent) Brookline Liquors being devoted largely to the french, with large burgundy and bordeaux sections and even a decent grounding in the loire and rhone, with lesser sections for the germans and italians. I'm sure there were some domestics in there, but I can't remember a bit.

] To answer your question personally, Emery, I like understated labels as used ] lately in Burgundy by the Gros family, Domaine Arlaud, Dujac, quite a few ] people. Recently though, at a 2003 Germans tasting, I saw a beautiful ] classic German label on a couple of Schloss Johannisberger 375 ml's (the ] 2003 Rosalack Auslese, AP 10-04, and the 2003 Rosa-Gold BA, AP 11-04; both ] extremely succulent wines, the Aus especially built to age). Both by the ] way from Dee Vine Wines in San Francisco,

That's an excellent point of course, the classic german labels have often been pretty ornate.

Max, last night I had a glass of very good Pommeau with my favorite kind of label. It was a yellow postit, scribbled in bic "Gonnesat 04/05" and held on with multiple layers of scotch tape.

-E