 Fairview's goats do roam | |
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Wine humour is humour associated with wine. As well as ordinary anecdotes, cartoons and jokes, the whimsical labels and names given to wine are a particular source of amusement. [1] Humour is usually rare in the world of wine, [2] and wine jokes may only be amusing to wine obsessives. [3]
Numerous wines have been given names which are deliberately amusing. These form categories: [4]
The South African Goats do Roam Wine Company, owned by Charles Back, produces labels with names such as Goats do Roam, Bored Doe and Goat-Roti. The Institut National des Appellations d'Origine (INAO) has protested at the similarity of these names to the French appellation Côtes du Rhône but owner Charles Back's defence is that the names are based upon the goats which roam about his Fairview winery and has made counter-protests with a herd of goats outside the French embassy. [4] [5]
The New Zealand producer Cooper's Creek produces a Sauvignon blanc called Cat's Pee on a Gooseberry Bush which has sold well throughout the world. [4] This phrase to describe the distinctive taste of the New Zealand wines made from this grape variety was first coined by wine critic, Oz Clarke. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, which controls the import of alcoholic drinks into the US, insisted that the name should be changed to Cat's Phee on a Gooseberry Bush. [6]
Wolf Blass created a sparkling Australian red wine called René Pogel. When people inquired who this person was, Blass advised them to read the name backwards (leg opener). This innuendo caused offence and so the wine was withdrawn from sale. [7]
The Bonny Doon vineyard in California is famous for its amusing labels which include Le Cigare Volant. This recalls the resolution passed by the village council of Châteauneuf-du-Pape in 1954, forbidding the landing of flying saucers in the region's vineyards. [4] [8]
Critter brands feature animals on their labels - a style which started with the Yellow Tail brand in 2004. These have a light-hearted, whimsical style which appeals to consumers who might be repelled by a more traditional style, which might seem too intimidating, pretentious or stuffy. Sales figures in 2006 indicated that about 18% of new wine brands were styled in this way and that annual sales in the USA were about $600 million. [9] The d'Arenberg company in Australia is famous for the amusing names of its wines and one such is called The Hermit Crab. [4]
Anecdotes and jokes may be told about wine. An old chestnut which has appeared in many contexts concerns a vineyard which sent its wine to a lab for analysis. The report which was returned warned that "Your horse has diabetes!". [1] The artist and wine enthusiast Ronald Searle has produced a book of cartoons and humour about wine called Something in the cellar. [10] [11] He also produced a collection of cartoons which satirised the art of wine-tasting —The Illustrated Winespeak. [12] [13]
Syrah, also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse Blanche. Syrah should not be confused with Petite Sirah, a cross of Syrah with Peloursin dating from 1880.
Malbec is a purple grape variety used in making red wine. The grapes tend to have an inky dark color and robust tannins, and are known as one of the six grapes allowed in the blend of red Bordeaux wine. In France, plantations of Malbec are now found primarily in Cahors in South West France, though the grape is grown worldwide. It is increasingly celebrated as an Argentine varietal.
Burgundy wine is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies," are dry red wines made from pinot noir grapes and white wines made from chardonnay grapes.
Vacqueyras is a French wine Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) in the southern Rhône wine region of France, along the banks of the River Ouvèze. It is primarily a red wine region with some white and rosé wines being produced. Being a little brother of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and, arguably, Gigondas, the wine is moderately prestigious and can yield pleasing results when treated correctly.
Côtes du Rhône is a wine-growing Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for the Rhône wine region of France, which may be used throughout the region, also in those areas which are covered by other AOCs. In a limited part of the region, the Côtes-du-Rhône Villages AOC may be used, in some cases together with the name of the commune.
Bordeaux wine is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the broad estuary called the Gironde; the Gironde department, with a total vineyard area of 110,800 hectares, is the largest wine growing area in France.
Margaux is a wine growing commune and Appellation d'origine contrôlée within Haut-Médoc in Bordeaux, centred on the village of Margaux. Its leading château is also called Margaux. It contains 21 cru classé châteaux, more than any other commune in Bordeaux.
French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and American wine-producing regions. French wine traces its history to the 6th century BCE, with many of France's regions dating their wine-making history to Roman times. The wines produced range from expensive wines sold internationally to modest wines usually only seen within France such as the Margnat wines of the post war period.
Wine has been produced in the United States since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84 percent of all US wine. The North American continent is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.
The Cru Bourgeois classification lists some of the châteaux from the Médoc that were not included in the 1855 Classification of Crus Classés, or Classed Growths. Notionally, Cru Bourgeois is a level below Cru Classé, but still of high quality. Many wine writers consider that there is some overlap in quality between the Classed Growths and the Cru Bourgeois, although also saying that by and large the Classed Growths still represent the best wines.
Nielluccio is a red wine grape variety that is widely planted on Corsica. It is the principal grape variety used in the production of the Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée AOC red wine Patrimonio, where it must by law make up 95% of the blend. An early budding vine, Nielluccio produces wines lacking in color and with high alcohol levels. It is commonly used to make rosé wine.
The wine regions of Bordeaux are a large number of wine growing areas, differing widely in size and sometimes overlapping, which lie within the overarching wine region of Bordeaux, centred on the city of Bordeaux and covering the whole area of the Gironde department of Aquitaine.
Médoc is an AOC for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary that covers the northern section of the viticultural strip along the Médoc peninsula. The zone is sometimes called Bas-Médoc, though this term is not permitted on any label. With few exceptions there is produced only red wine, and no white wine has the right to be called Médoc.
Haut-Médoc is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) for wine in the Bordeaux wine region of southwestern France, on the Left Bank of the Gironde estuary. Covering a large part of the viticultural strip of land along the Médoc peninsula, the zone covers approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi) of its length.
A goat tower is a multi-story decorative goat house, modeled on a European garden folly, an early example of which was built in Portugal in the 19th century. The first goat tower was built at Aveleda, a winery in Portugal's Vinho Verde region. Since 1981, several other goat towers have been built in South Africa, Norway, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Argentina; these include three at other wineries. The towers typically are multi-story with climbing ramps spiralling the exterior and often become tourist attractions.
Howard Park Wines are Margaret River and Great Southern wine specialists and a family-owned winery owned by the Burch family, which is responsible for such brands as Howard Park, MadFish, and Marchand & Burch. With an established winery based in Margaret River, Western Australia and vineyards in the Great Southern, the Burch family are the first Australians to gain ownership in the production of a French Burgundian Grand Cru.
Anjou wine is produced in the Loire Valley wine region of France near the city of Angers. The wines of region are often grouped together with the wines of nearby Saumur as "Anjou-Saumur". Along with the wines produced further east in Touraine, Anjou-Saumur make what is collectively known as the "Middle Loire" (as opposed to the "Upper Loire" which includes the wine regions of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fumé. Within the Anjou wine region are several Appellation d'origine contrôlées responsible for a broad spectrum of wines including still red, white and rosé produced with varying levels of sweetness. Extending across the Deux-Sèvres, Maine-et-Loire and Vienne départements, the generic Anjou AOC appellation and its various sub-appellations encompasses vineyards across more than 151 communes.
Western Australian wine refers to wine produced in Australia's largest state, Western Australia. Although the state extends across the western third of the continent, its wine regions are almost entirely situated in the cooler climate of its south-western tip. Western Australia produces less than 5% of the country's wine output, but in quality terms it is very much near the top, winning 30 percent of the country's medals.
Guigal, formally Établissements Guigal, is a winery and négociant business situated in Ampuis in the southern part of the Rhône region in France. Guigal produces wine from appellations across the Rhône region, but is particularly noted for their Côte-Rôtie wines and played a pioneering role in improving Côte-Rôtie's international reputation. Guigal's single vineyard wines La Mouline, La Landonne and La Turque are internationally renowned. In 2007, the release of the 2003 vintage of Guigal's "La La" wines set the record for most expensive release of any Rhone wine, with bottles retailing for as much as $800.
Jean-Luc Colombo is a French wine producer and negociant in the Rhône Valley. While Colombo produces several Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wines in the Rhône, such as Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Hermitage, he is most noted for being a pioneer in the revitalization of the Cornas wine region. In reference to a Remington Norman quote about the need for a "media star" to bring attention to the Cornas region, The New York Times wine writer Frank Prial noted that Jean-Luc Colombo has done much to fill that need.
