- John Romero
Marketing fascinates me.
Ever since I took an "Advertising and Society"class my senior year at [redacted],I've looked at advertisements with a more critical eye. I also received theworst grade on any paper in my academic career in that class because I focusedtoo tightly on marketing in my research -- or at least that's the explanationthe TA in the class gave.
It's all about appealing to the target demographic. Advertisersget brief chunks of time to make an impression, so message must be tightlytargeted. You want to appeal to young men? Use scantily clad women (or perhapsscantily clad men). You want to appeal to older men? Mention a life free fromprostate trouble. You want to appeal to middle-aged folks? Get them worriedabout either paying for children and retirement, or remind them that they canstill feel young. And then there's the John Mellencamp-themed Chevy ads. (Youknow the one: "This is awrrrr counnnntreeeeeee."). They seem to annoyas many people as the Applebee's "Gilligan's Island"spots -- so I'm yet to figure where they're aimed…
So what does this have to do with wine? Women account for57% of wine sales in the US,and most female consumers of wine drink what they buy almost immediately.According to Leslie Sbrocco, author of "Wine for Women," women "lookfor the experience" in wine. "We think about who we're with, whatwe're eating," she said. "Women buy visually, paying attention topackaging. They look for a transition between day and night, work andplay."
Wine sellers are quick on the uptake. Interesting labels,odd bottle shapes, funky names for wines -- these are aimed at casual winedrinkers and/or people who tend to consume wines not long after purchase, sincethose two demographics make up the majority of wine sales. A typical,old-school cursive covered bottle with a proudly emblazoned vintage but noother "obvious" information isn't going to stand out while strollingthe aisles of Liquor Direct.
Couple this notion with Sbrocco's thesis -- and you'll get alot of wines marketed at women for "specific" use in particularenvironments. Now, I'm not going to claim knowledge of what those environments may be…I'll leave those toyou to envision or share in the comments. That said, here are a few wines whoclearly weren't marketed towards my gender:
Little Black Dress2006 Chardonnay -- From their publicity, "Fashioned specifically tocapture the pure essence of what a woman wants in a wine, Little Black Dresssignifies all that is elegant, confident, sexy and today." Pretty boldstatement for an $8 bottle. Is it "sexy and today?" I have no clue,but it's decent. It comes off the hangar with a nose like a buttery chard --creamy and citrusy. It's medium bodied for a chardonnay, and makes no bonesabout being Californian. There's plenty of toasty oak in this wine. However,instead of becoming buttery, it's turns more crisp -- an interesting mix ofEuropean and American styling. The finish is oaky and somewhat dry. We had thisone with some grilled swordfish and yellow rice and it went quite nicely.
Mad Housewife 2006Cabernet Sauvignon -- "This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment toyourself. A moment without the madness." Perhaps this is a reworking ofthe Stones' "Mother's Little Helper," but hey -- whatever gets youthrough. Actually, this is a very decent Cabernet. It's nothing spectacular,but very approachable. The Mad Housewife has a fragrant nose of currants andblackberries. There's a nice fruity taste with just an edge of tannin. Finishis slightly dry. The Sweet Partner in Crime said that she found it"Zin-ish, but not quite that strong a flavor." It's a $10 bottle,which is probably about right for the quality.
Bitch 2007 Grenache-- I remember the first time I saw this wine. I was wandering down theAustralian wine aisle when I spotted this bright pink label with"Bitch" delicately scripted. I had a hard time running this wine downto review -- as it tends to sell pretty briskly, for reasons I would need asecond "X" chromosome to properly understand. When did"bitch" become a term of endearment? I used that word to describethat Advertising and Society TA for a decade. That all changed when TA-Bitchbecame the Sweet Partner in Crime ten years later, but that's a story foranother day.
That said, this is a much fruitier, heavier wine than Iexpected from a straight Grenache. Most Grenaches tend to be on the light side,but this one refuses to take a back seat. (Apparently, Grenache is also a bitchto grow…) Blindfolded, I'd think might be a more manly zinfandel, but Bitchbrings the strength. At 15% alcohol -- this is not a wine to be trifled with.The nose is full of brandy-covered plums. There's some licorice to go with thefruit when you taste, and the finish is surprisingly dry. Nice tannin. $11-12.
Of course, since I'm male, you can probably discount most ofwhat I say above. I'll do a followup column on manly wines soon. Suggestionsare welcome…
