First Impressions

By Ricki-Lee Podolecki, DipWSET

What makes a wine label grab your attention? Is it colour? Is it intrigue? Is it a clever (or terrible) design? At Jones & Company, we have over 1,200 types of wine on our shelves, so what winemakers put on the outside of the bottle can be an important introduction to the wine inside. Sometimes the label is compelling in its design—a work of art that complements the carefully crafted wine inside—and sometimes, it’s the story that makes us appreciate the depth of meaning. Here are some of our favourite labels and their stories.

Pedigree: Catena Zapata 2018 Malbec Argentino Mendoza, Argentina ($171.99)

Using four dramatic characters, this epic label captures the history of Malbec and its journey from France to Argentina. Eleanor of Aquitaine represents the birth of Malbec in Cahors, France; The Immigrant symbolizes Malbec’s journey to the New World; and Phylloxera, a skeleton, represents the large-scale decimation of Old World Malbec by the phylloxera louse in the late 1800s. Adrianna Catena Zapata is the final woman on the label, symbolizing the renaissance of Malbec and the family’s four generations of winemakers. The wine is as epic as its label promises: it is produced from 100-year-old vines of the Nicassia Vineyard (named after winemaker Laura Catena’s greatgrandmother) and shows the sophisticated side of Malbec and its storied history in Argentina.

Creature Comforts: Lingenfelder 2018 Bird Riesling Pfalz, Germany ($19.99)

The Lingenfelder family has been making wine in Pfalz, Germany, for 14 generations (starting in 1520). During his tenure, Rainer Lingenfelder (generation 13) has brought great innovation to the family vineyard, including in marketing their wines. Recognizing that German wine names can be difficult to remember—or even pronounce—on the international market, Rainer decided to have an artist honour the different creatures found in Lingenfelder’s vineyards. This approach gave the “creature series” a distinct theme that would attract attention and stand out in wine lovers’ memories. The Bird label started it off, followed by the Bee, the Fox, the Hare, the Owl, and the Fish.

Wine with Personality: Benazzoli 2020 Dafne Bardolino, Italy ($19.99)

Benazoli is a woman-owned and operated winery with a dynamic team that injects imagination into everything they do. Each label showcases a drawing of a fictional woman whose personality and name represent the experience of the wine. The petals surrounding Dafne’s face echo the roses and geraniums (along with cherries and wild strawberries) on the nose. The wine itself—a light-bodied red with juicy acidity and well-integrated tannins—reflects Dafne’s personality, described by the winemakers as “young: she wants to grow up, but she’s afraid to lose her lightheartedness. She’s active, dynamic, determined, and full of joy.”

Blending Traditions: The Juice Asylum 2020 Maggie Mae Tuscany, Italy ($31.99)

As a buying group, we were torn about bringing this wine in. The juice is fabulous; the label… is risky. But the story behind the label made us fall in love with it. The image depicts Maggie Mae, the main character of a traditional Liverpool folk song about a prostitute who robbed a “homeward bounder” (a sailor coming home from sea). An intriguing dinner-conversation starter indeed! What could be more traditional than an Italian winemaker dedicating his wine label design to his love of British folk songs from the 1700s?

See more labels

A Moment in Time: Ventisei 2019 Bianco Toscana, Italy ($19.99)

Eline Aloy was 26 (ventisei in Italian!) when her passion for wine culminated in this intriguing blend. That year, she opened her first wine bar in Antwerp, Belgium, and her mother, Virginie Saverys, took over Avignonesi winery in Montepulciano, Tuscany. After sneaking into a blending session to try her hand at the art, she was hooked. She decided on the spot to start her own wine collection. When looking for the name and design for this wine, she says, she chose to capture the moment of “this intense and wine-fuelled year” that inspired her wine career.

It Wasn’t Me: Innocent Bystander 2019 Pinot Noir Yarra Valley, Australia ($26.99)

This winery’s philosophy holds that the grapes produced in the Yarra Valley are so outstanding that they simply need a gentle, nurturing hand to shepherd them through to outstanding wines. After many attempts by different artists, it was the son of a neighbour who was just starting out in graphic design who created a cardboard stencil and used spray paint to create the now iconic logo. It embodies the philosophy of the winery—rather than elevating a personality behind the brand, they work as a team of “innocent bystanders” in service to the wine.

Rebellion: Coudert Père et Fils 2020 Clos de le Roilette Fleurie, France ($32.99)

Why is this on our list? The label wouldn’t win any design awards, but that is actually the point. It starts with a winemaker frustrated with the rules. Considered one of the finest producers in Beaujolais, the vineyards of Clos de la Roilette sit on 9 hectares between the villages of Fleurie and Moulin-à-Vent. When the Fleurie appellation was created in the 1920s, the landowner was infuriated with losing his “Moulin-à-Vent” designation to this upstart appellation with no reputation. In retaliation, he slapped an unflattering photograph of his racehorse, Roilette, on the label, without even mentioning Fleurie. It was a very French way of stating his disapproval. The Fleurie designation is now included on the label, and the winery continues to honour Roilette’s rebellion with the original equine label.

Verified: Bond 2017 St Eden Napa Valley, USA ($1,999.99)

H. William Harlan and his team spent 25 years in search of what they consider the five best sites in the Napa Valley for Cabernet Sauvignon. Bond Cabernet Sauvignon from the St Eden Estate is considered a “First Growth” (the highest-quality designation used in France)—as you can see from its price tag. As an iconic producer and winery susceptible to fraud (see Gary’s Corner on page 28 for the scoop on counterfeit wine), they partner with the 250-year-old American Bank Note Company, which prints their labels on banknotes and transfers them to the winery via armoured vans. If you are lucky enough to get one of the very exclusive bottles allocated to Jones & Company, you can verify your bottle’s authenticity on their site with a special ID number.