Is Wine with Cute Labels - Like Cupcakes with Sprinkles?
I'm at the rooftop of the lovely Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills earlier this week. It's quite a scene up there now - private cabanas with TVs, beautiful bodies - when a tray full of iced chocolate and vanilla sprinkle covered cupcakes passes by us en route to a group of women just a few feet away.
My companion and I ooh as it goes past, then look at each other and laugh. "I'm sure they look better than they taste," we say at the same time.
Why is it that I'm skeptical about things that are pretty and over-the-top when it comes to food or wine? That I live by that saying "it obviously looks better than it tastes". Am I really such a purest that I can't just 'go with the flow' and be like everyone else when it comes to lots of toppings, heavy garnishes or catchy-phrased wine labels?
Or is it just experience that's show me that what's pretty on the outside isn't necessarily within?
So I'm still scratching my head over the recent studies have shown that (ugh!) wines with labels that appeal to women outsell their competitors in the same class by 20%. That's a big difference. But, like with anything that may be all about the packaging - isn't it possible that the less attractive (or less female friendly) label might taste 20% better?
At Women & Wine, we're going to embark on a taste taste starting next week. We're going to buy wines under $12 with pretty labels or ones that particularly 'speak' to women and line them up against some of their less attractive competitors - sort of like a a beauty pageant that's picking the beauties AND the beasts - to see which appeal to our palates more. And, to see if those with the pretty labels really do hold their own.
We're going to do this taste test with a panel of men and women - so stay tuned for the results next week. Who knows? Maybe the most tasty wines will end up being the prettiest too.
If you have a suggestion of a favorite label that appeals to you because of the aesthetic, please email me at julie@womenwine.com.
