Wine snobs are being urged to abandon their prejudices against “animal wines” – bottles that feature images of cute animals on the label.
A deep dive into the world of wine with animal mascots from the hand of Wall Street Journal has uncovered a treasure trove of affordable, high-quality bottles that “enophiles” may be dismissing as cheap.
The rise of the infamous “Yellow Tail” wine, with its cheerful wallaby-shaped logo, two decades ago sparked a rise in so-called “creature wines” — inexpensive bottles aimed at casual drinkers rather than serious wine enthusiasts.
“Animals convey a sense of cheapness to consumers,” Jeffrey Wolfe, owner of Wolfe’s Wine Shoppe in Coral Gables, Florida, told the Wall Street Journal.
Last summer, a British wine expert came under fire for criticising the iconic Australian wine, with many calling him a “snob” for his refined taste.
A deep dive into the world of animal-themed wine by the Wall Street Journal has uncovered a trove of affordable, high-quality bottles that oenophiles may be dismissing as cheap.
The rise of the infamous ‘Yellow Tail’ wine, with its cheerful wallaby logo, two decades ago sparked a rise in so-called ‘bug wines’ – budget bottles aimed at casual drinkers rather than serious wine enthusiasts.
Luke Flunder, who has been in the wine industry for more than a decade and is an independent wine merchant, tried Australia’s Yellow Tail Shiraz ($8), which claims to be the “world’s most loved wine brand” and has won “more than 550 wine awards” according to its label.
“It tastes like it was grown in a lab; it’s like when you leave a pack of Skittles in your car on a hot day and it’s a warm, sticky mess,” he said of the popular wine last year.
The wine connoisseur also boldly claimed that it was “not a representation of the Shiraz grape” but was drinkable nonetheless.
Luke settled on a low 3.8 out of ten for the Yellow Tail Shiraz.
But an investigation by a wine columnist Lettie Teague has found plenty of impressive wines with animal-themed labels—from a $10 Malbec featuring a black goat to a $20 Chilean País featuring wild pumas.
But research by one wine lover has uncovered plenty of impressive wines with animal-themed labels — from a $10 Malbec featuring a black goat to a $20 Chilean País featuring wild pumas.
Other “quality” bottles also feature images of horses, sheep and even a jumping frog, many of which reflect strong ties to the land and the heritage of the winemakers, as well as the landscapes where the wine was produced.
Other “quality” bottles also feature images of horses, sheep and even a jumping frog, many of which reflect strong ties to the land and the heritage of the winemakers, as well as the landscapes where the wine was produced.
The Black Cabra Malbec 2022, a $10 red that pays homage to the black goats that roam the Argentine Andes where it is produced, the article explains.
According to the author, winemaker Fabián Valenzuela has produced a delicious red wine with soft tannins and an excellent quality-price ratio.
And the author found several excellent horse-themed rosés and reds, including bottles from Long Island vineyards and a Malbec from Argentina that pays homage to the “Stallion,” a “strong but playful” creature.
Surprisingly, the only animal the author had difficulty finding was man’s best friend, and his search turned up only a disappointing bottle with a dog-shaped label.
