Tonight, a friend of mine is hosting a wine-tasting party. Each person/couple is to pick up a two bottles of one wine they’ve never had before, and those two bottles will be used for the tasting (the point of the two bottles, I think, is to make sure there’s enough to go around).
I drink wine, but I’m no connoisseur. I’ve ordered white zinfandel at restaurants and have had people cringe, because I’m not sophisticated to drink reds or some kind of white. It’s a good thing those same people don’t see me picking up strawberry wine: it’d probably give them a heart attack! But short of a chardonnay or a moscato, I haven’t yet developed a taste for many whites or reds, and while I like something sweet, experience has taught me if it’s too sweet, I won’t touch it.
Last night, the hubby and I went to the liquor store to figure out what to bring. I wanted to find something that I wouldn’t necessarily try on my own, and then I discovered Once Upon A Vine. I’d heard of them before, simply because of their delightful labels. You’ve got The Big Bad Red Blend, the Lost Slipper Sauvignon Blanc, the The Fairest Chardonnay, and then lastly, the Charming Pinot. The liquor store I went to didn’t have the blanc: I think I would’ve gone for that if they had. Instead, I decided on the pinot. The guy working there said it’d be a good red to try for someone like me, someone’s whose trying to develop a taste for reds and doesn’t want to be overwhelmed.
Label-wise, I prefer the Big Bad Red Blend, but I’m gonna hold off and see what develops. The Fairest Chardonnay is definitely one I’ll probably like, but that’s something I can safely pick up the next time I need to get wine for a meal.
Has anyone ever tried any of these? If anything, these bottles are worth picking up for the labels, because they’re so delightfully designed. đŸ™‚
But I do want to say:
Dear Once Upon a Vine:
Your labels are utterly wonderful. Your website is utterly boring. Please hire the designer who did your labels and have them redesign your website. Your wines deserve better!
Sincerely, Calico
Calico Writes 
Does anyone know the designer of those wonderful wine labels? Because I completely agree with you. They are so enchanting!
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I don’t honestly know. Whoever did it did a great job though, didn’t they?
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Those are great labels. If I’m ever in the area, I would totally pick some of those up, to put in my wine rack for display if nothing else (though to be honest, I’d probably just drink it and ruin the display).
I love wine! I’m not really a connoisseur either, but I’ve been taking casual classes for a year or so. I think a lot of it is an acquired taste, though. For reds, do you much like Gamay (from anywhere but Switzerland)? It’s typically really light and fruity in my experience, so that’s one I usually recommend to friends who like sweeter wines.
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You’ve been taking classes on wine? Very cool! And no, I haven’t. Not heard of it either, but that’s not saying much: I’ve not heard of much! Is Gamay a brand or a type of wine?
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Yeah, the classes have been a lot of fun, and I’ve had a lot of fun discovering new wines. Gamay’s a type of grape, I think it’s mostly grown in France. In my experience it tends to taste of sour cherries, and I think it’s pretty delicious :).
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