Message in a bottle: Eight wine labels with hidden meanings
Next time you’re invited to a dinner party, wow the guests with a beautiful bottle of wine and the story behind the label.
Call me sentimental, but walking into a bottle shop often brings on a wave of emotion so strong it moves me to tears. Other times, laughter. The trigger? Wine labels. Or more specifically, the stories behind them. There are hidden messages to be found in labels, from hilarious social commentary, to deeply moving tributes, unforgettable anecdotes, and subtle nods to history.
A label has the power to tell a story that goes far beyond the grape variety, the place, or the year it was grown. For many producers, wine is deeply personal, and savvy label designers work hard to tell back stories through imagery and names.
“We know that when there is an emotional connection between brand and consumer there is an increase in attention, memorability and recall,” says Rowena Curlewis, CEO and co-founder of design agency Denomination.
Curlewis works with brands across Australia, Britain and US, and says Australians are more likely to reach for something new or intriguing. “We are very lucky that Australian consumers are pretty confident and knowledgeable about wine,” she says. “With that confidence comes the ability to explore.”
A wine’s backstory is not always obvious. For that reason, being privy to hidden messages is even more special. Seek out these unforgettable examples.
The hidden Michelin man
Garden of Earthly Delights Pip’s Chardonnay, $55, Heathcote, Victoria
Best for: Roast chook on a crisp evening
Former chef Adam Foster makes delightful Rhone-inspired reds under his Syrahmi label, and works with chardonnay, sangiovese and nebbiolo alongside his wife, Pip, for their Garden of Earthly Delights brand. Foster has a cracking sense of humour. It’s there on the labels in the form of a tiny Michelin Man. The chubby character is officially known as Bibendum, the Michelin tyre company’s mascot since 1898.
During the 1900s, the French tyre company published a series of guidebooks encouraging people to visit nearby restaurants and hotels (and wear out their tyres in the process) that eventually evolved into the globally renowned Michelin star restaurant ratings coveted by chefs today. “I collect antique Bibendums,” Foster says. “The obsession started when I worked as a chef at Michelin restaurants for three years, including [now closed] The Square in London.”
Well-known Australian artist Adriana Picker designed the Garden of Earthly Delights labels and based the tiny Michelin image on a photograph of Foster meditating in a granite cave located on his Heathcote property. Weird? You betcha. “It’s a bit of an Aussie piss-take,” Foster says.
A moving silhouette
Majella Wines, The Musician, $19, Coonawarra, South Australia
Best for: Casual snags on the barbecue with mates
There’s something special about this blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz. At $19 a bottle, it’s smashing value and my go-to barbecue wine. I’m not alone. Countless people across the nation have enjoyed The Musician since its inaugural release in 2005. But how many know the story behind the silhouette on the label?
The image brings a lump to my throat every time I spot it at the local bottle-o. I was fortunate to know the young chap pictured in the subtle but iconic image. Matthew Lynn had everything going for him when a tragic accident cut his life short at the age of 20. The gifted musician and cricket player grew up in Penola, Coonawarra, where his parents Ros and Brian “Prof” Lynn are co-directors of family-owned Majella Wines. Matthew played guitar in a band alongside my brother, and the guitarist’s laid-back demeanour and wide grin lit up the rehearsal room, and any room for that matter, whenever he was around.
“When Matthew was in hospital and we really knew he wouldn’t survive, there was a suggestion to name our new wine after him and call it The Musician,” Prof says. “I hummed and hawed about it for a day or two before deciding yes.”
Designer Barbara Harkness presented the label to the family on the morning of Matthew’s funeral. “It’s our most popular wine and our biggest seller. I think The Musician is the epitome of a BGD – a bloody good drink. It’s a wine that makes people feel good, and at the end of the day, wine is there to be enjoyed. That’s what life should be about.”
A tiny fisherman
Scanlon Wines 2022 JMS Pinot Noir, $70, Adelaide Hills, South Australia
Best for: Special occasions where only small-batch and beautiful will do
Adjust your specs and look closely (very closely) at the “H” on young winemaker Harry Scanlon’s labels. There, at the base of each letter, is a silhouette of Scanlon casting a fishing line. It was drawn by his late grandfather, Joe, who taught the youngster to fish during childhood. The H is based on the handwriting in a birthday card Joe penned to his grandson. As Scanlon and his father Justin tend their Piccadilly Valley estate vineyard, memories are sparked by every row, tree, and stone. “Everything we do is about family,” Scanlon says. Their small-batch wines are coveted stuff.
Keep your eyes peeled for the new releases when they land in May, including the premium, super limited Burgundian-style Scanlon 2022 JMS Pinot Noir ($70). “It’s named after my Mum, Joanne Mary Scanlon. The S is based on my grandfather’s handwriting and the J and M were done by Dad.”
Rule-breaking rabbits
Usher Tinkler 2022 Death by Semillon, $30, Hunter Valley, NSW
Best for: An edgy dinner party talking point
There’s intrigue in simplicity. Like a small bunny with Xs for eyes. That’s what winemaker Usher Tinkler chose to feature on his Death by Semillon label. In fact, the critter is hidden on all his labels. What, for the love of rabbits, does it mean?
“It’s symbolic of my winemaking,” Tinkler says. “Which is very anti-establishment. Who would be so crazy as to ferment Hunter semillon on skins, age it in barrel, and put it through malo [malolactic fermentation] with high pH, and no-filtration? It’s suicidal in such a traditional wine region.” There’s a bit of sentimentality about it, too. “When my grandfather returned from PNG during WWII, my grandparents survived by selling rabbit skins to Akubra.”
The 2022 Usher Tinkler Death by Semillon is an astoundingly memorable wine, largely thanks to a kaleidoscope of textures and the kind of mouth-watering citrus twang that triggers a voracious appetite. You can’t miss it; the rabbit marks the spot.
The power of a wolf
WineWolf Foundation Touch of Dutch Australian Chapter Semillon, $36, Barossa South Australia
Best for: Drink now or age for three to five years (semillon has potential to blossom)
A tiny image of a wolf can say so much. Dutch vinologist Lotte Wolf was a powerhouse who lived life with intensity until a brain haemorrhage took her life in 2018. She didn’t waste a second of her 32 years.
Wine led Wolf all over the world, from roles as a revered sommelier at the likes of (now-closed) three-star Netherlands restaurant Oud Sluis, and wine director at Amsterdam’s Sofitel Legend The Grand. Wolf also made wine in Portugal, South Africa (her second home) and South Australia during the harvest of 2009.
Along the way, she met South Australian winemaker Courtney Christie, a shining star in her own right. They soon became inseparable. “Lotte was really passionate about women in wine,” Christie says. “Some of her girlfriends were shy and really struggled to promote themselves but she rallied behind them and encouraged them to chase their dreams. She’d say, ‘You only live once, so get out there and do it’.”
When Wolf died, she was en route to South Africa to make wine for her label A Touch of Dutch. “After her death, her family asked me to go over to South Africa, and I worked with [natural winegrower] Johan Meyer to continue making her wine,” Christie says. The label’s expansion into Australia includes the WineWolf Foundation Australian Chapter 2021 Semillon, made with Barossa Valley’s Sven Joschke Wine. This tiny wolf is a stunning tribute.
A wine by any other name
Mandala 2016 ‘The Butterfly’ Cabernet Sauvignon, $70, Yarra Valley, Victoria
Best for: Feet up by a roaring fire, great book in hand
Winemaker Charles Smedley’s sister Vanessa never got to try Mandala’s The Butterfly Cabernet Sauvignon. It was named in her honour after her death in 2005. Vanessa means “butterfly” in Greek and the fun-loving fan of heavy reds was particularly partial to great cabernet sauvignon.
“Vanessa was very generous and full of life,” Smedley says. “It’s been 18 years since she passed in 2005, so every memory is precious.” The adoring brother believes Vanessa would have appreciated the passion, fun and love that went into the current release. “Honouring loved ones through labels and names is important because, in a sense, you bring them along for the journey,” Smedley says. “Even though they’re not always there in person, they are still very much with you.”
Mum’s the word
Charlotte Dalton Wines 2017 Love You Love Me Semillon, $30, Port Elliot, South Australia
Best for: People who like their white with a bit of sexy body
Winemaker Charlotte Hardy has fond memories of her childhood spent on a farm in New Zealand. There, she and her siblings roamed free – safe in the knowledge that a warm motherly hug awaited when they returned home. Charlotte’s mother Christine Hardy was just 64 when she died of uterine cancer in 2014.
“My beautiful mum passed away the year before I started Charlotte Dalton Wines,” Hardy says. “She’s still here though.” The Love You Love Me Semillon and Shiraz releases make sure of that.
“Mum used to say, ‘Love you, love me’ to my brothers and me when tucking us into bed when we were little. It was also the way she ended a phone conversation or farewelled us when we were older. We would reply, ‘Love me, love you’.”
A bold statement
Larry Cherubino Wines 2020 Uovo Riesling, $45, Frankland River, Western Australia
Best for: A minimal intervention, lo-fi option that’s all class
An egg on a wine label? There’s no denying the eye-catching appeal of the single goog on winemaker Larry Cherubino’s Uovo range. That’s it; no brand name, no varietal, no vintage … and yet, it works beautifully.
One can’t help but turn the bottle over to find out more. The back label reveals the logic behind the design. Uovo means egg in Italian and these delicate beauties were made in clay cement ovoid tanks (in other words, giant concrete “eggs”). The result is stunning. Also give the 2021 Uovo Grenache ($70) a whirl.
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