It has been three months since my last Label of the Month post! How am I going to make it up to you?

How about a positive prognostication for the imminence of Spring?

February’s Label of the Month is dedicated to Phil and his ground dwelling colleagues. I’ll raise a glass of this sweet, red groundhog wine to Phil for 125 years of hard work pulling off a shadow-free morning (and predicting an early end to winter). Good on ya mate! Keep up the good work, and we’ll see you next year.

Toast to Punxsutawny Phil

Is it true, you ask? Yes, it’s a real label, and the prognostication? Well, let’s just ask the groundhog himself…

Click Groundhog’s Day 2011 for official video by the official, English speaking representatives of Phil himself.

Happy Groundhog’s Day!

Phil’s Phaithful Phollower,
WineGirl

It’s that time of year again for another Label of the Month. This month’s label is brought to you by my stoopendously funny girlfriend Shaina inspired by her recent trip to Kelowna, BC.

Princess Shaina

Blasted Church Vineyards is another in the line-up of “modern wineries,” by which I mean keen, out-of-the-box marketing strategies applied to a product becoming increasingly commoditized. In an attempt (successful I might add) to differentiate themselves, Blasted Church have developed seriously fun labels in line with their dynamite church theme. From their website:

The plan called for a controlled blast of four dynamite sticks inside the church in order to “loosen the nails”. Odd as it may seem, the explosion spared the wood from damage during dismantling. Save for losing the steeple, the plan succeeded. Now, the 108 year old wooden church stands proudly in its second home of Okanagan Falls.

I’ve chosen Hatfield’s Fuse as the example label. Wow, talk about the kitchen sink of wines (in terms of a white blend), Hatfield’s Fuse has 53.5% Gewürztraminer, 17.1% Optima, 14.2% Pinot Blanc, 8.2% Chardonnay, 4.0% Ehrenfelser, 1.5% Pinot Gris, 1.0% Riesling, and 0.5% Sauvignon Blanc. According to the website, the wine has notes of citrus, lychee, melon, floral, apple, and tropical fruits.

Hatfield's Fuse

Kelowna is a fantastic place to wine taste and travel up through the Okanogan Valley in Canada. Awhile back my parents and I went for a preliminary tour of the valley and had a blast hitting eight wineries in the one day including Blasted Church.

Dyn-o-mite,

WineGirl

A few others:

So, once upon a time, a sassy 18 year old girl was working at an Italian restaurant awaiting her acceptance letter to the University of Washington. A regular sitting at the bar inquired about her University status and she confirmed that she had yet to hear anything. As the kind and helpful regular that he was, he suggested that she register with the local community college since classes were about to start in three weeks.

Woah! Hang on a minute! Now we all know community colleges do great things, but she had already spent her time at a community college, not to mention a year at the University of North Texas. Community College? It hadn’t even dawned on her to have a back up plan. She was going to UW and she was going to study psycho-pharmacology and design brain candy and that was that.

Well, the community college suggestion got her thinking, so she sat down and made a list of everything that she wanted in life. She wanted to travel to amazing places, study languages and meet great people. She wanted to climb mountains, explore caves, dive beneath the depths. She wanted to be an artist, a scientist and a philanthropist. She wanted a farm with a vegetable garden so she could make her own peanut butter. She wanted horses and bees and especially a little piggy.

Now, I realize that the above was a huge wind up to this month’s LotM, but in my mind it makes perfect sense (of course).

This month’s label is from the Cayuse Vineyard wine portfolio, the Flying Pig. It’s a Cabernet Franc dominant red blend. I certainly have an infatuation with pigs and wine, so naturally it’s the perfect selection for September. Not to mention that the wine is amazing! Who says fantastic wine can’t come with a fantastically playful label? Come on, the pig even has a jet pack. I’m adding “learn how to fly out of this world” to my list of things to do in life.

Flying Pig

I’m outta here,

WineGirl

PS: I found two other flying pig labels, but they don’t rock nearly as much as THE Flying Pig wine. I included them for fun anyway.

Flying Pig 2

Flying Pig 3

This month’s label was inspired by a conversation with a customer about Nefarious Cellars. Now, I get really excited about great wine, great wine making and great wine stories, and this label delivers on all of the above.

Nonni & Zing Pinot

2002 Nonni and Zing Willamette Valley Pinot Noir according to their website:

…we started a label called Nonni and Zing. It was a small project of about 250 cases annually and was made entirely from fruit sourced from the Dundee Hills AVA. That was a good time.

The label features a jester with bright red pompoms on his top. The Nefarious jester can still be found in the background of the Nefarious wine labels today. My favorite part is the red and white polka dot foil. I also love how each wine is individually numbered by hand. Mine is 659 of 1680. Since I’ll never open it as a part of my collection, here are some tasting notes from someone else’s experience.

Polka Dots

This is an historical piece, no longer available or produced. I feel so lucky to have come across this bottle when Nefarious first opened in 2005. Back then they were just a chick, a guy, and a dog. Things have gone very well for the Neff’s and I am excited to have them in my own backyard.

WineGirl

July’s Label of the Month is a choice from our new home of Lake Chelan. It’s a tribute to the wineries and grape growers of the area that have worked to establish the Lake Chelan region as a unique wine destination. One of the most unique wineries in the valley is Hard Row to Hoe. As they say on their website, the “name celebrates the entrepreneurial spirit of a man who ran a row boat taxi service on Lake Chelan in the 1930’s ferrying miners by rowboat to a brothel located at Point Lovely.” That theme extends from their name to their tasting room, their label designs and the wine names. A few of their wine names are Shameless Hussy, Laid Back Cab, Iron Bed Red, and the soon to be released Double Dip. Their labels show the trek of the miners across Lake Chelan to Point Lovely.

Fun labels for sure.

J.H.

The Original

A man named Ron came into The Blending Room last week. I thought I recognized him from somewhere. An older gentleman, bald on top, but a very well manicured white beard on the bottom. He looked as if perhaps he had forgotten his top hat home. He was very kind, but direct almost a little gruff. I knew I was in good hands when he began delving into his wine background. Turns out he retired only to find himself Chief Taster at Columbia Winery for over eight years.

Columbia Winery was the first winery I ever visited. I was 16, maybe I just turned 16. My boyfriend and I were celebrating my birthday on the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. It was the mystery edition tour, a real Who Done It? where everyone’s a suspect and we all have to untangle the planted actors from the guests to solve the murder. Turns out the stuffed Husky dog I received as a surprise birthday gift was the culprit. Go figure.

Anyway, we arrived at Columbia Winery in Woodinville after what seemed like hours traveling time from Renton. Guess the commute’s still the same, even in a car. I’m not sure if I actually tasted wine that night, seeing as I was a paranoid goody two shoes and didn’t want to get caught drinking under-age. Maybe I sipped off my boyfriend’s glass, as he was after all of age. We purchased two bottles of wine. One was drunk at some point, and the other I have carried with me throughout nearly half my life. It’s a 1994 Columbia Valley Merlot. Not sure if the late Master of Wine David Lake made it or not. When I find the bottle I’ll add it to this post.

Well, throughout the next decade and a half I have found several reasons to visit Columbia Winery. One, I purchased a wine barrel from them in 2003 for my Sonoma County ΦΗΡΑ Cabernet Merlot. And, I went tasting with some friends where I purchased a 2000 Pinot Gris, that I still have too. It’s the label of the month for June along with the 1997 Yakima Valley Cabernet Sauvignon from the Otis Vineyard. If you look closely you can see the scratch marks from years of storage on my fancy Ikea wine rack. I’ll probably never open either. They’re part of my story. Probably better that way, seeing as white wines do not age well, and well reds, well… I believe on either of those occasions I may have run into Ron behind the Columbia Winery bar. It felt great to be on the other side of the bar from Ron. It allowed me to see how far I’ve come in the WineGirl Wines endeavor.

After a recent trip to the QFC – Issaquah that carries what remains of our 2007 Kamari Black Label Cabernet Franc, I found a label that inspired me enough to add it to the Label of the Month blog series.

However, instead of using that label for May and further begging forgiveness that it is no longer May and that my post is delinquent for May, I am going to do a piece on what has also been lost.

Somewhere over the Snoqualmie Pass and in between wrapping up my MBA and opening The Blending Room in Lake Chelan, I lost time to write the May LotM post. Fear not, I have found what many others have lost.

We’ll begin with a lost canyon. My favorite thing about items being lost is that they are inevitably found, or else you’d have a tree falling in a forest. Does it make a sound? Thus, I am assuming that the lost canyon for which Lost Canyon wines were inspired must have been found by the inspire-ee. Wait, I’ve become lost in my contemplation.

Anyway, Lost Canyon has a simple label that they have used since 2001, below left. I think we used the same Papyrus font for the University of Washington Biology Club sweatshirt designs. Yes I was a nerd. But that was in 2003, so I guess we lost the font race. I also found a Lost Canyon label from 1978, that I thought was quite pleasing, perhaps they should bring the antique paper look back.

Moving on to our new find, we have a lost valley. I’m beginning to find a theme here. How is it that we have lost all of these geographic regions, or is it being lost within them that is appealing? Lost Valley Winery can be found down-under in Australia. The label is simple black and white water color, almost translucent imagery conveying a succinct feeling of lost.

The Lost Valley Winery website describes for us the ethereal nature of the region down-under and explains perhaps how it became lost:

Nestled on the high slopes of Victoria’s Great Dividing Range in the stunningly beautiful ’Victorian High Country’ 1 hour North of Melbourne, Lost Valley Winery is set amongst majestic boulders of pink granite at a lofty 450 metres altitude with sweeping views of Mount Buller, first growth forests of Australian Ghost Gums and bordered by the trout filled King Parrot Creek below.

Almost forgotten by modern development, this land was called the “Valley of the Thousand Hills” by its indigenous aboriginal inhabitants; whilst the name for the Tallarook Forest that adjoins Lost Valley Winery, comes from the language of the Natramboolok Tribe meaning “Call of the Wattlebird.”

Hmm, like Dorothy I too would like to become lost in the Land of Auss… among the wattlebirds.

For each lost canyon you will find a river and for each lost valley one finds a lake. Luckily enough we have found the Lost River Winery and the Lost Lake Winery. I like the Lost River label with the vintage sketch and clearly designed label, but I am especially attracted to the circular ammonite imagery on the Lost Lake labels. The label makes me wonder if I can find lost ammonite fossils on the lake floor, and I begin to wonder about the lost land before time of these extinct marine creatures.

We’ve begun in California and traversed to Australia and now we’re back in the Northern hemisphere with these two winery’s hailing from my home state, Lost River in Winthrop, Washington and Lost Lake in Pemberton, Washington. And, to wrap up our trip of lost and found, we remember another winery out on the peninsula in Sequim: Lost Mountain Winery.

Lost Mountain has since closed its doors as the owners have retired from a long family tradition of winemaking. Jon and I actually had a chance to visit the Lost Mountain Winery back on 2004. Its grounds were stunning and luscious, characteristic of the Puget Sound. I still have a bottle of their wine and I think they mastered the lost imagery with their label. It is a sad loss for Washington state.

And last but not lost, and even more appropriately for the month May 2010 is a tribute to the LOST. Dharma Initiative island beverages, and who can forget the beer?

Find me in June,

WineGirl

You know, what better way to go down in history than with your own wine label.

As I was researching my Wine in China? post, I came across a Karl Marx label on a Chinese sparkling wine. So, naturally I decided it would have to be the next label of the month.

Karl Marx Sparkling

Karl Marx Sparkling

Further researched confirmed another label on a German red wine:

Karl Marx Wine

This search also turned up an intriguing set of wine labels with equally controversial images (depending on which side you take) upon them. How about the Hitler label or the Carter label or the Che label?

Controversial Collection

Hitler Wine

Carter, Che, Churchill Collection

So, I’m no history buff. It was my least favorite class growing up. Maybe it was because I learned my history in a Texas classroom and had to unlearn it from A People’s History of the United States. I really lack in understanding of Communism, Marxism, Sentimentalism and all other -isms that would allow me to make a properly witty post on the meaning of a sparkling wine celebrating Karl Marx or a series of Der Führer with ex-President Carter involved. So instead of starting with my instincts Wikipedia: Karl Marx, I decided I’d find other labels of parallel ironic-ism.

My first attempt: Bob Marley

Found it!

Bob Marley Wine

Next: President Obama

First search return:

Palin Wine

Obama Wine

Larry Bird

Dan Akroyd

WineGirl

March’s label of the month is inspired by an unbelievable discovery of cross-marketing techniques and the wine bottle.

Say Hello to Hello Kitty wines.

Pic can be found here.

Our friends in Italy have released a Pinot Nero with licensed Sanrio labels featuring an angelic Hello Kitty and diabolic Hello Kitty. Interesting, what will those Italians think of next? Then, ridiculous meets the US federal TTB label approval process, which states that labels on alcoholic beverages may not target under-aged consumers including, but not limited to, cartoon graphics. So, if Hello Kitty is not intended for children, to whom is it targeted? (This hilarious and scary blog may give some perspective on the market.)

So how on earth did USA Wine Imports of New York, NY import this unmistakeably Italian wine? Who knows, but you can buy Devil Red on Shop Hong Kong for a mere US $51.20 and Angel White for US $42.15. I’d like to see if you can actually get it to the states, although it seems Vegas has found a way.

But the Hello doesn’t stop in Italy. There’s also Hello Kitty wine from France, a red Mariage and a white Bouquet d’Amour.

Pic can be found here.

And who wouldn’t want to miss the Beaujolais Nouveau Hello Kitty from three different vintages?

And then, the search brings us back to our Torti friends in Italy making a Champagne in Brut Rosé and Sweet Pink. I just wanna know why the puffy, white feline can’t share the limelight with her best friend Keropi the lime-green frog?

And now, after a long day at work, you’ve returned home to your choice of Hello Kitty plonk, you can rest assured that you’ll have just the right glass in which to hold your evening treat available on Amazon.com.

And where better to consume your Hello Kitty treat but in your Hello Kitty themed mansion? I know I’m excited and I hope your wife doesn’t ever see this!

Just imagine feet propped up in fluffy pink chair… and warmed by your very own Hello Kitty slippers plugged into the USB port on your laptop. I’m in heaven as we speak!

The only way it could get any better for me is if Jon is sitting next to me nursing an ice cold Beck’s Hello Kitty beer. Awww, let me tell you, this is livin’ the dream!

Sleep tight,

WineGirl

In a moment of recent inspiration about the ephemeral nature of life, I set out to find a label of the month for a cause. The most natural theme for a cause was cancer. I started on a search there and in light of the celebrations of love for the romantic holiday month of February, I’ll also begin with something pink.

I do not believe pink ribbon wines are still available as these were created for an October 30, 2008 Toast for the Cure event. I know The Cure has become a hugely controversial source of fundraising aimed to support breast cancer research, but who could ever really deny, the enormity and amazing unification of people from around the world that this movement has created?

I’m going to assume these wine labels were created in an honest and truly philanthropic endeavor, but a small, tiny, itsy-bitsy part of me always wonders what incentives the designers or wine producers are getting out of it, hitching a ride on this press? None-the-less, and since it really seems that there aren’t too many wine labels out there directed at a cause, we’ll continue with another series of labels featuring breast cancer survivors.

Cleavage Creek has intrigued the wine community with buxom cancer surviving babes upon its wine labels. Although early renditions of the Cleavage Creek labels won awards for worst labels ever, all is forgiven when you read the story about the man behind the idea. As quoted from the Cleavage Creek Cellars website:

Budge Brown, successful self-made businessman and farmer, enjoyed 48 years of marriage with his wife Arlene. When she lost her battle with breast cancer in 2005, he was devastated. Devastation turned to anger. Anger lead to action. Budge Brown is mad as hell at breast cancer, and he’s determined to do whatever he can to help find a cure for it.

I’m glad Budge Brown has a story. I’m glad his name is Budge. Below are some labels.

Women of Cleavage Creek

Learn more about the Women of Cleavage Creek.

I will forgive CCC for using the word cleavage on their wine. I will forgive the earlier images on the labels. You’ll have to find them yourself.

-WineGirl

PS: This Label of the Month is dedicated to Janet, my grandmother, who is battling complications of cancer as we speak. Although, it’s not breast cancer, please keep her in your prayers and thoughts.