This is the very unusual sight I came across today. At first the title of the article read: “Wine for women”. I got mildly annoyed and was about to move away when a sentence caught my eye: “Every smile has a story. And many stories are shared over a glass of wine”. Banal? Yes, but true. In our days of bad news, a smile is to be treasured preciously.

Back to wine! SmileVino is a weird but touching try to reach people through the best of their heart. Each label depicts a woman smiling. Each smile carries a different emotion: compassion, accomplishment, whatever. The back label tells the story behind the smile. What about the wine? There are two bottles – one of Merlot and one of Chardonnay, both from California. My feeling is that the wine is just the messenger for woman’s charities in various communities in spite of Nancy Moore, vice-president, affirmation: “Our signature Chardonnay and Merlot were specially created in California and offer a fresh taste for wine lovers.”

I like the positive side of the story: smile, telling a positive story, giving back to the community. But why only women and why so little on the wines?

I have a couple of issues with gender marketing applied to the wine business. First, many studies showed clearly that women don’t have special attraction to “feminine” wines, such as pink or sweet wines. Second, women are now learned in wine: they know what they like and what they want to buy. Last but not least, they are usually sharp shoppers and detect easily the false bargain or the marketing trick. Because let’s be honest and even brutal: a wine designed for women is usually poorly made – too sweet, heavy, poorly balanced. Give us real wines – with a smile, yes but also a wine that will bring a smile to our face!

Second wines of classified growths have sometimes a hard time to have a life of their own and to be recognized by the consumers as high-quality wines. That’s why the story of the second wine of the famed Château Haut-Brion is so intriguing.

For many years, the second wine of Château Haut-Brion was named after the former owner of the plot where the grapes going in the wine were grown, Bahans. Unfortunately such a name is difficult to remember and pronounce, even for a French.

Prince Robert of Luxembourg, President of Domaine Clarence Dillon and one of the owners of Château Haut-Brion and Château La Mission Haut-Brion, decided to change the name, the label and the bottle of the wine. The bottle has now the same shape as the one of Château haut-Brion as well as a similar engraving in the neck of the bottle. The label is a replica of the Haut-Brion label. The drastic change is in the name: le Clarence of Haut-Brion.

Why Clarence? Prince Robert’s great grandfather was Clarence Dillon, the American and francophile banker who bought Château Haut-Brion in 1935. The naming of the bottle is an homage to the man who also designed the original and elegant shape of the Haut-Brion bottle in 1958.

The wine in the bottle is – obviously – as high quality as before. The same care and love went into it. Wine lovers will be able to discover the new 2007 vintage by the end of 2009 – a few months before Domaine Clarence Dillon celebrates the 75th Anniversary of the acquisition of Château Haut-Brion by Clarence Dillon.

I tend to consider the US as my personal paradise for wine brands. Indeed France is not really a champion in that category! Last night, I happened to share a bottle of Westerly Vineyards 2001 Estate Grown Merlot with some friends. besides the fact that the wine was a delight, I was intrigued by the label.

It has a very contemporary feel to it with the hand-written initial W and words: l’amour, les amis, la vie est belle (love, friends, life is beautiful). At the same time, the consumer has all the important information: the name of the vineyard, the vintage, the grape and the geographical origin (Santa Ynez Valley). This simple and elegant label draws the eye to the bottle and gives a high quality feel to the wine. Even before tasting it we all knew we would have a nice and elegant wine in our glass.

The back label comforts this impression: in two sentences, we learn that the vines are sustaibaly farmed and that the “terroir” is very present in the wine.

A few days ago I was pondering about the problem faced by Alsatian vintners following the new EU regulations on the origin of wine. The question became a controversy in Alsace where labeling relies a lot on the grape since most wines are mono-varietal. The same wine maker can produce gewürtztraminer, Pinot Gris and Rieasling from the same plot or terroir. The only differentiating information on the label will be the variety indication. Mark Wessels of MacArthur Beverages in Washington DC told Decanter journalist Panos Kakaviatos, “How would customers know the difference between Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl Zind Humbrecht and Gewurztraminer Clos Windsbuhl Zind Humbrecht?”

Jean-Michel Deiss, head of the famous Marcel Deiss Domain, does not mention the variety on the front label. The mention figures only on the back label. On the front label customers read the “Grand cru” mention, the vintage and the “terroir”, Mambourg. One could assume that only a very erudite consumer would know that on the Mambourg terroir grow mostly Riesling and Pinot blanc.

Not mentioning the variety would indeed be confusing for the consumer – especially in that day an age when a lot of wine consumers from the New World buy mostly by the variety.

It would be counter productive for the producers to add to the complexity (or the mystery) of French labels. Let’s try to help the consumers understand, buy and appreciate our wines.

Last week, Bordeaux was buzzing with journalists, importers and wine professionals tasting the 2008 vintage on the Left and the Right banks of the Garonne River. It is always an exciting and fun time: when getting to a tasting room, one usually runs in a friend or a colleague not seen since the previous Futures week or can chat with a winemaker whose wines are tasting wonderfully or so different from the 2007 vintage. What happened? Why is it so different? Conversations are lenghthy and make everybody late for the next stop.

This year I limited my tasting to the Right bank and the Graves: along with my colleague Jean-Louis Carbonnier of Carbonnier Communications in New York, I went from L’Envers du Décor in Saint-Emilion (page in French), owned by François des Ligneris, former owner of Chateau Soutard and current owner of a very interesting range of wines to the tasting of La Grappe organization to the Biodynamic Wines Fair. The afternoon was devoted to the Classified Growths of Saint-Emilion and Pomerol before joining Michèle Piron-Soulat in Bordeaux for a tasting of the white wines of the Graves. A busy but great day!

“La Grappe” (the clutter) is an association of winemakers and vintners from all over France. They take advantage of the Futures Week to present their new vintage to the press and the trade. I had the pleasure of tasting the 2007 and 2008 vintages of Chateau Chambert in Cahors. Philippe Lejeune, new owner of this beautiful estate, managed his two new vintages with the help of consultant Stephane Derenoncourt. The wines taste almost like Bordeaux wines: smooth and rich in red fruit aromas. In spite of an obvious ageing potential, they drink very weel, even as young as they were. If you want a taste of the new style of Chambert without waiting too long, get the little brother of Chateau Chambert, the second wine. Before moving on to the next tasting, I “cleaned” my palate with a few extra-ordinary white wines: the libanese Château Marsyas and the 2006 Bargylus white from Syria (site in French). And then back to France with a wonderfully balanced Savennières Domaine FL wine (site in French).

Then on to the biodynamic wines. I was very curious about them having almost no experience in this field. Thanks to Jean-Louis who knew a lot more than I do, I was introduced to some famous (and famously good) biodynamic wines. I started with the Champagne of Françoise Bedel with nos sugar added: a real delight, moved on to Josmeyer‘s wines, stopped at Zind-Humbrecht‘s table and spent a little time with La Tour Grise’s vineyard manager. La Tour Grise produces traditional Cabernet Franc and Chenin blanc of exquisite quality. And then… surprise! I was invited to taste two bubblies: a rosé Cabernet Franc and a white Chenin, both fresh, fun and very low in alcohol (around 7%). They’re delightful and I strongly recommend them: they are unusual and their label is so much fun! The manager told me men consider those two wines as “feminine” and disdain them when women just fall for them. I must confess I was one of those!

After a delightful lunch at L’Envers du Décor and a tasting of François des Ligneris’s new range of wines (don’t worry, I’ll tell you everything about them very soon), we drove to the Union des Grands Crus Classés various tastings. In St Emilion and Pomerol, we were in the elegant world of the Classified Growths. The wines are of high quality, smooth and very good for such a difficult year. We now have to wait for the prices to come out. Yesterday Angelus opened fire by offering the 2008 vintage at 50 euros, the same price as the 2004 vintage and 40% lower than the 2007 vintage. We’ll see soon how the other Classified growths and famous estates are going to position their price.

A few years ago, I was in a wine store in Charlotte, N.C. when a young woman walked in, looked around and grabbed with obvious delight a bottle of a red wine adorned with a stylish J on the bottle: no mention of the varietal or the vintage on the front part of the bottle. I never heard of the winery and was intrigued by this mystery wine. It happened to be a bottle of Pinot Noir from the J vineyards in Russian Valley. While I was looking at the bottle and trying to figure out what it was, the young woman bought a case of it as well as a case of their sparkling wine. Waoooo! This wine must be good! I asked the woman why she was buying so much from one single producer. Her answer almost knocked me down: “My name is Johnson and since it’s our anniversary tonight, I thought it would be so cute to serve a wine with our initial on the label.” “But do you know the wine? is it good?”, did I ask her. “Oh no”, said she, “I never heard of it and it doesn’t matter anyway: I just want the “J” on the bottle!”.

Why am I telling you this story? Because J vineyards just announced they’re changing their label for their new vintage releases. Since then I did my homework and now know that J vineyards produce nice wines, deserving better than being bought for a “cute” label! Does this story tell you something?

Wine drinkers sometimes dream to make their own wines. But owning a vineyard is a costly and difficult enterprise. That’s why some producers got together to offer the possibility to make wines from several French areas in a web site called MesVignes.com. Several properties are part of the project: Château l’Enclos in Bordeaux, Château de Chamilly in Burgundy, Château Cantelauze in Cahors, Château Montana in Roussillon, Domaine Fouasier in Sancerre, Domaine du Clos in Touraine, Domaine Bunan in Bandol, Domaine Spielman in Alsace and Domaine Clavel in Languedoc.

The wine lover can chose among different renting offers: he can rent 12, 24 or 36 vine plants, be part of the harvesting and wine making processes or just rent the plants and collect the wines after two years of ageing. Prices are reasonable: from 196 euros to 850 euros for the full package. At the end, the client walks away with 12, 24 or 36 bottles of his/her own wine personnally labeled.

Isn’t the perfect gift for a wine lover?

At the end of last year, I was contacted by Sid Patel, Marketing Director of The Friday Monkey wines from Australia. Since I didn’t know this brand, I was curious enough as to look for it on the web. The web site is clean, user-friendly and answers most questions of somebody who didn’t drink their wines and could be a potential customer. I especially liked their first sentence – direct and enticing: “Friday Monkey wines are drinks for any occasion; be it at home, a casual dinner with friends, or at a BYO restaurant. We give you the finest quality wine that tastes good and lets you have all the pleasure. ” As well as their closing statement: “Wine may be regarded as a metaphor for the spirit of Australia, reflecting the multi-faceted elements of a nation that retains the essence of its origins, embraces the new and distils both into a product of vigor, variety and complexity. Our wines are young, trendy and sophisticated.” The Friday Monkey winery produce the usual culprits: Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Shiraz, Cabernet Merlot, Rose and Chardonnay. I liked what I saw and sent a few questions to Sid who answered very nicely. Friday Monkey is the new brand by excellence: well thought out and very well marketed within the Web 2.0 world.

How did you choose the name?

The Friday Monkey name was chosen with the purpose of gaining immediate brand recognition. Friday is the best trading day of the week for liquor sales in the United States. USA and UK are our focus. The sight of a cute monkey swinging on a vine is one which delights people of all ages. Combined on a wine label, they present a whimsical image which is readily noticed with irresistible appeal to the impulse buyer. Its name is easily remembered and describes the contemporary personality of the wine. It also conveys a feel good factor while making a purchase decision in the store. Last and not the least, it will boost retailers’ wine sales without them doing any hand selling.

How innovative is your marketing strategy? Do you use Web 2.0 tools?

We have a Facebook group page with 325 members, a group on LinkedIn called “Beverage Network” and we are on almost 50 blogs. We are not on Youtube yet, but will be there soon as we have just completed a wine tasting video with a critic. This is posted on our facebook group page for the moment.

Other marketing strategies include traditional tastings, posters, banners, magazine adverts, print articles, house wine programs. We also partner with ‘event’ companies and give them our wines to use for free (almost). Thus they open our bottles at wedding events, birthdays, corporate parties, dinners, etc and we get awareness. We also partner with clubs, charity organizations, etc. For example: we offer discounts to YHA members, South Australian Farmers Federation, University of Western Australia, etc. We also sponsored a global conference of the Australian Primate Society. We will be sponsoring an event for American Primate Society this year.

We are now considering advertisements on Facebook, MySpace, etc….but we are hesitant and working on the statistics as 25% of the audience on web 2.0 are under 21 (legally cannot drink) and it will more of a brand awareness program than depleting stock. Therefore, we still prefer print and traditional advertising in wines. Facebook allows and places your adverts to users which are above 21, so we may start with those.

Besides the US, do you plan to reach other markets (Asia, Europe)?

We are in a few countries but we have not really mass marketed them as the duty and taxes are very high. We are waiting for the local government to cut down some taxes and that will be the right time for us. As far as Europe goes, we will be starting distribution with a UK based importer and Finland importer in 2009. Due to the current economic conditions, we are waiting for the right time to launch as we don’t think that this is the right time to introduce a ‘new’ brand in a ‘new’ market. Thus till mid next year, we will focus on penetrating where we are.

Australia signed last month an agreement with the European Union, agreeing to remove from its labels of fortified wines all references to names tied to places in Europe. The chairman of the fortified sustainability project committee, Colin Campbell, said the project already cost over 1 million dollars to the Australian wine industry. But he hopes to have the new names approved by March and be able to start promoting them.

16 boutiques wineries located in San Francisco and using the facilities of Crushpad, the luxury urban winery, founded an association to promote their “first-rate, hand-crafted wines”. According to their web site, “Each vintner is unique; some favoring a “New World” style of winemaking; some focusing on just a single varietal; some making 100% organic wines. But all share a common desire: to make first-class, 90+ point wines. As artisan winemakers, they also desire a close, personal connection with their customers, and each welcomes the opportunity to invite new friends to enjoy their wines.”

What makes this association unique is the fact all wine making is located in the heart of San Francisco, since it happens in the Crushpad facilities. The wineries typically produce from 50 to 500 cases. The owners might even have “day” jobs but they’re all committed to create a high-end and delicious wine.

The wines are sold through the web site and a wine club. I can’t help noticing that 3 out of the 16 wineries have dogs on their labels!

Funny monikers seem to be still trendy – in spite of the fact consumers might get tired of them! Behind every of those labels, there is a story of man, dog and wine. “Canine Wines”, states the web site, “was inspired by our passions for wine and animals. We produce handcrafted wine using premium grapes from some of the finest vineyards in California. We then give $5 of every bottle sold to help good animals find their forever home.” On the other hand, “Due Cani (two dogs in Italian) is named after the founders’ rescue Chihuahuas and donates a percentage of profit to animal rescue organizations,” while “Pug Wine celebrates its founder’s twin passions- the vibrant character of pure bred pugs and fine wine.”

Whatever name they chose for their winery (and the reason behind it), the 16 members of this new association produce fine wines from $35 to $60. Their wines are professional, distributed through exclusive channels and the proof of the high quality of Crushpad facilities.