It is fascinating to observe the development of wine labels. Over the thirty-plus years that I have been buying, selling and drinking wines and spirits, I cannot but help notice the lengths to which producers, or their marketing advisers, will go to make their products more appealing to a potential consumer.
    There are two aspects to this. One is the consumerist obsession with making the origin of what is in the bottle clear to the drinker by stating on the label exactly where it comes from, and insisting that the contents are just what they say they are. In other words, if the bottle says Beaujolais, then the contents must come 100% from that delightful area to the south of Burgundy, with no drop from anywhere else. This is all very reassuring to the consumer, but does it actually make for a better bottle of wine? Before these strict Appellation Contrôllée laws were brought in, back in the Sixties, an average bottle of Beaujolais had a good dose of something from North Africa in it, and possibly a little something from the Midi. The result was a less expensive bottle, blended to a style the drinker recognised, liked and could afford. Now we have to have real Beaujolais, which has become relatively expensive, and is often a bit thin and sharp, unless you are prepared to pay £6 or more for a really good example, like Marcel Jonchet’s, available from McKinley Vintners (0171 928 7300). And as for Beaujolais Nouveau! They’re always so much better when they’ve had at least six months in the bottle! Has this insistence on protecting the consumer really resulted in our getting better value for money?
    The second aspect of labelling which strikes one is the titles which are given to wine brands nowadays. Have you come across a Fat Bastard recently? Sounds like a rather boerish South African. But no. This is a Chardonnay from France - from the Pays d’Oc. What on earth is a consumer to make of a name like this? Only this week I read of a couple of wines called Rivers Meet, a white Sauvignon Semillon blend, and a red Cabernet Merlot, shortly to be marketed over here. A new Australian venture? Not at all. Think of the confluence of the Garonne and Dordogne rivers. These two are Appellation Bordeaux Contrôllée. The French have taken a long time to catch up with new world marketing ideas, but they are now pursuing them with a vengeance.
    Which would you rather have? A bottle that tells you what it is clearly before you get to the small print? Something with a funny brand-name that is at least memorable? Or if you had the chance, something called after a style that you knew and recognised, even if it was not 100% honest? I would welcome your views, to me, care of the Editor! Rumour has it that the consumer is king - but there is an awful lot of scope for him to get confused.