Drawn by an intriguing label: Jilly Lone Ranger, Bodegas Forlong, Sub Rosa

Labels can be as enticing as the wine itself.

Jilly Lone Ranger Nebbiolo 2015 ($42).

Bags of popcorn on the counter, bright lights, and row after row of whimsical characters beaming down from plastic cases: can the excitement of a trip to the video store as a child be relived as an adult? I like to think so.

As children we selected the cassette that had the most visually pleasing and intriguing packaging. As adults, do we not do the same when buying wine?

Choosing wine in a bottle shop is vastly different from picking one from a wine list. In a restaurant we tend to stick with what is instantly recognisable or a wine that we identify with an agreeable experience in the past, or we rely on a sommelier to guide us through a wilderness of often alien words and meaningless numbers.

But in the wine shop we are free to rely on visual cues — shapes, colours, images that seem interesting or out of place.

The great wines of the world, the Latours, Lafites, Granges and Romanee-Contis have regal labels that are representative of their history. But eye-catching they are not, and to someone unfamiliar with their status the only thing remarkable about them would be the price tag. But labels can be as enticing as the wine itself.

Consider the labels of South Australian-based Some Young Punks, whose Monsters, Monsters Attack Clare Valley riesling or The Squid’s Fist sangiovese-shiraz blend are wrapped in vibrant images of B-grade movie monsters of yesteryear, designed by illustrator Asaf Hanuka.

Or look at the “family tree” of Gut Oggau, a producer in Burgenland, Austria. Each wine it produces has its own portrait of a fictional family member whose personality matches the countenance of the juice inside. Talk about whimsical characters.

Contemplating all this, I tried an experiment. I rocked up to my local bottle shop and, without thinking about it, chose three wines based solely on their label design. The grape variety, place of origin and vintage were unknown to me until I had them at the checkout. The results? Impressive. And maybe, as with Care Bears and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles videos, I would never have known their delights if I hadn’t used my eyes first.

Jilly Lone Ranger Nebbiolo 2015 ($42)

The label: A pale white horse and rider against a burgundy background. The image, by artist Danny Fox from St Ives, Cornwall, is simply drawn, reminiscent of a Sidney Nolan, but there’s something mysterious in the angles and the bold lines, giving the figure and his mount an other-worldly feel.

The wine: Cool-climate nebbiolo sourced by winemaker Jared Dixon and wildly fermented and bottled in the small town of Clunes, NSW. Ripe blackberry, herbal notes and dried bush leaves with a hint of cloves. Firmly fruited supple tannins with that classic dustiness stain the palate and leave the lingering taste of fire boiled blackberry tea. Undeniably Australian and one of the best examples I’ve seen recently of homegrown nebbiolo.

Bodegas Forlong Blanco 2016,

Cadiz, Spain ($42)

The label: An anthropomorphic blue fish in a red suit with a briefcase, looking as though he is waiting for a bus.

The wine: A blend of palomino and Pedro Ximenez. Complex aromas of yellow fruit, golden pear and honey with a curl of parmesan rind. Fleshy flavours of red papaya and banana on the attack but the palate is dry and savoury. Slight lactic notes of cream cheese and spice reluctantly melt away into the cheeks.

Sub Rosa Shiraz, 2015, Grampians ($35)

The label: A stately mouse with a glass of wine and pipe sits on a throne.

The wine: The pristine Grampians fruit is juicy but not overbearing, sliding into chiselled tannins that cut fine lines down the palate. Sweet and savoury spice with a crack of black pepper complete the palate in this balanced shiraz.