Would you buy a wine called Bitch?
One that comes with a pink label dominated by the word “Bitch,” surrounded by a border of little hearts with daggers through them?
I wouldn’t. I asked fellow members of a food and wine writers Internet group that question and got a unanimous thumbs down. “Cheap,” “tacky,” “unfunny,” “harsh,” “off putting” and a “turnoff” were some of the responses.
I told them that, supposedly, Bitch stood for “Babe In Total Control of Herself.” No one bought it.
If some people choose wines because of pretty or interesting labels, many also choose wines by their names. There are well-known brand names (Kendall-Jackson), cute or funny names (Goats Do Roam), unappetizing names (Fat Bastard) but mostly just ho-hum names (Fill-in-the-Blank Family Vineyards). In this slow economy, people are hunting for a gimmick (well, some people are always looking for a gimmick) and someone behind this wine from Australia must have thought the name “Bitch” would compel buyers to grab it off the shelf. And it probably does.
As much as I was turned off by the name, I was even more turned off by the sparkling wine, Bitch Bubbly. Sweet, flat-ish, uninteresting. Afterwards, I regretted having drunk a whole glass – and that’s rare.
I hear the Grenache is quite good, and a good value, too. But something about that name makes me not terribly motivated to try it.
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Bitch has actually been grabbed off shelves since the 2004 vintage, and its fan base has arguably been built more by comments like this from Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
ReplyDelete"The 2008 Bitch Grenache is about as good as it gets for $10. Earthy, herbal, sage and garrigue-like aromas mingle with lovely rose petal and cherry scents. Smooth, ripe, flavorful and seamless on the palate, this friendly effort is all about pleasure. Drink it over the next 2-3 years.” Issue 186, December, 2009
Sometimes, we take this all too seriously. There are lots of reactions like yours, but just as many like this: "this pink little label with classy lettering is delightfully giggle-worthy." And there's a sackful of mail recounting first encounters, pro and con.
In the end, most of them say, forget the label, BTW, this wine rocks.
That's motivation enough to at least give it a try.
Oh, and don't forget the ring-tone: most popular of several choices at the moment would be “Bitch” by Meredith Brooks from the album Blurring the Edges. You could look it up!
And:
“If you can’t handle me at my worst, you don’t deserve me at my best.” – Marilyn Monroe
She might giggle at the bottle, but I'm bettin' she'd ask for another glass....
"The Bitch is Back" gets tweeted from MAWSmermaid on a regular basis. The customers LOVE the label and the wine.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as it hits The Wall-- it sells.
And we serve the Lil Bitches by the glass--at our cafe.
And the "Little Bitch Bubblies" were a HUGE "Stocking stuffer" at Christmas.
As I say, A good wine is one you like, a bad wine is one you don't....
Our customers love it inside and out...
Jill Ditmire
Omnimedia Wine Specialist/jad Productions
Owner/Buyer Mass Ave Wine Shoppe, Indianapolis IN www.massavewine.com
"The Bitch is Back!" gets tweeted from MAWSmermaid on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as the sassy Aussie hits our "Wall of Wine"-- customers flock to get their hands on it.
We serve the "Lil Bitches" by the glass at our cafe--and it too is a very popular pour. At Christmas we were constantly ordering them as the Lil Bitches made VERY popular stocking stuffers.
As I say, a good wine is one you like, a bad wine is one you don't. From sales at our shoppe, I would say customers love it inside and out.
Jill Ditmire
Omnimedia Wine Specialist/jad Productions
Owner/Buyer Mass Ave Wine Shoppe www.massavewine.com