Some Young Punks take a page from pulp art history with their Passion has Red Lips label
DressED to Impress: labelling australia’ s wine
Sylvia Jansen, Sommelier( ISG, CMS), CSW
The shadows of the setting sun are long, even though the day is still warm. The door of the next trailer opens. She steps out, wearing perfect red lipstick and a perfectly undone white shirt. She smiles and stretches back in the doorway of the trailer like a cat, waiting for its next treat. It’ s passion.
Is this the cover of a 1950s pulp romance novel? Or the label of a spunky Australian wine? It is both: Passion has Red Lips is a stylish Cabernet / Shiraz from equally stylish winemakers Some Young Punks. These winemakers have decided to dress their seriously good wines in seriously flippant labelling. They are eyecatchers in a competitive market.
The Flash
With thousands of bottles in a retail environment, any small advantage is a good advantage. The label waves from the shelf; it is the evocative invitation. To gain that advantage, some producers work with designers who specialize in wine labels; others commission artists; Some Young Punks have borrowed the edgy covers of pulp fiction and romance novels.
The most famous label design project began in 1924, when Bordeaux house Château Mouton Rothschild decided to break with tradition. Instead of shipping their barrels of wine to merchants for further sale, Baron Rothschild bottled and labelled his wine before it left the Château. He commissioned French poster designer Jean Carlu for a label image. Mouton’ s labels have changed almost every year since 1945, and have included such luminaries as Picasso, Kandinsky, and Warhol.
Australian wines are particularly successful in the Canadian market— we cannot seem to get enough from our Commonwealth companions. Part of this success is thanks to Australia’ s ambitious marketing. Another factor is that Australian wines have been easy, accessible, and enjoyable. Mostly, though,
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