Ever buy a wine because you liked the label? Don’t worry, everybody does. That’s why the industry spends so much time designing them. And why the approval process is so long and painful!
Labels are required to contain specific information, text which is determined by the exact contents in the bottle, which must be proved by lab reports that accompany the approval request. And woe be to those who don’t get it right the first time! An endless stream of back-and-forth with bureaucrats can keep your wine in storage well past your targeted launch date. Much like a racer that’s stuck in the blocks – you’ll have no hope of catching the rest of the pack.
The label approval process is governed at the national level, a wise, labor-saving arrangement that prevents producersfrom filing for approval in each state.
Well, early today my friend Cornelius Geary of Wine 2.0 brought to my attention a label-related bit of bad news. It was about a surprise from this morning’s headlines that a label approved long ago – one crafted in the beautiful Belle Epoque style (right) and that has been on the market for years (and sold over 600,000 cases!) – has just now been banned by the state of Alabama as too racy. Actually, the word they used was “pornographic”.
Now, to quote an old Republican senator “I can’t tell you what is pornographic and what isn’t, but I know pornography when I see it!” Well, believe me, this ain’t it.
For full details on the ban of Cycles Gladiator, read the story here.
But there is precedent for this nonsense. I served as a marketing consultant to Bonny Doon Vineyard shortly after their Cardinal Zin wine was banned by right-thinking officials in the great state of Tennessee. They thought the Cardinal Zin label poked just a bit too much fun at Catholic church officials, and decided it was best to stay in good stead with Rome. Apparently, the catholic Church produced more TN state sales tax than the wine did. Whoops! Churches are tax exempt, so perhaps it was something else. After all, influence peddlers abound, the most effective of which are disguised as watch guards of our own good.
If you’ve read this far I presume it’s because you tend to agree with my view that government has over-extended their reach here. I think the best way to show our disdain for this silliness is to purchase a few cases of the wine. I don’t sell it, as its producer – Hahn Wine Estates – is huge, not befitting the “discovery” essence of what I do. But I can tell you – I plan to buy some of this wine for summer sippin’.
Vote with your dollars, folks!
Buy Cycles Galdiator Wine here.
Buy Their Gear here
Cheers,
Dave the Wine Merchant
866-746-7293
Quote of the Day
“It’s red hot, mate. I hate to think of this sort of book getting in the wrong hands. As soon as I’ve finished this, I shall recommend they ban it.”
~ Tony Hancock
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