Critters Be Gone

Recently, two BC wineries have gone through re-branding efforts with new label designs moving away from critter-centric logos. Both Naramata-based Howling Bluff Estate Wines and Golden Mile Bench's Golden Beaver Winery have replaced their cartoon animal branded labels with new, slick-looking and modern labels that better reflect the serious product within.

Howling Bluff's new logo elevates the name of the winery's home vineyard to that of a brand for the winery's new releases in 2011. The name "Summa Quies" comes from the Latin meaning (roughly) "a higher calm or peace". The new label is slick, focused and fairly forgettable - perfect really, as one should be thinking of the wine inside and not of the stylistic coyote howling at the moon on the old label. The change also elevates the packaging up to the standard to which the winery's excellent Pinot Noir has obtained over the past three vintages.

Golden Beaver Winery has gone through a more dramatic change, re-branding the winery name to Castoro de Oro which roughly translates back to golden beaver in Italian. Logos, labels, signs and their website have all been updated with an artistic beaver-wearing-a-coat-and-top-hat-pondering-life design, moving away from the Canadiana fueled drunk-beaver-crapping-on-a-barrel cartoon. The modern design is eye-catching, interesting and potentially topical - why is a beaver wearing a felt top hat... does he not know what felt was traditionally made of?

The moves are purely economical, as most business decisions are, but the aesthetic effect on the industry as a whole - one still struggling to be taken serous at times - is a welcomed side-effect for those of us who would like to see the BC wine industry flourish both domestically and abroad. The business reasons are likely rooted in the reliance of small-to-medium sized wineries on stable and repeat restaurant clients ordering their wines. Restaurants have been known to keep wines off their wine lists due to the design of the labels despite the quality of the product within. If a wine is at all hard to sell, for whatever the reason, it's not worth their time (or the space to store it).

The move away from critter-based cartoon labels and logos is certainly restaurant-friendly and a change for the greater good but only time will tell if was good for business - here's hoping.
 - Liam Carrier ©copyright 2011 IconWines.ca

Osoyoos Celebrity Wine Festival

I can speak from personal experience, Black Hills Estate Winery knows how to throw a party! As a wine tourist myself, I like to seek-out fun wine related events to attend and any affair organized by Black Hills' president Glenn Fawcett is sure to be a blast. The Celebrity Wine Festival is just such an event and affords one the luxury of taking the experience of attending to the next level - you can actually be in the event by creating a short video about your love for BC wine. Submissions are due June 1st.

Official Call for Submission note from Glenn Fawcett:
The Vino’s is the world’s first wine film festival. It has been inspired by events like the Sundance Film Festival, Cannes, or the wildly successful Big Rock Eddies beer commercial film festival. It gives wine enthusiasts the opportunity to compete for cash prizes and precious wine packages by producing a one to three minute video about their favourite BC winery or anything to do with BC wine.


You obviously like drinking B.C. wine. So why not grab your friends and a camcorder and make a 60 second video commercial about your favourite B.C. wine or winery? Have some fun, create some laughs and send something in. If you are lucky, your submission will be chosen as one of the 24 finalists and will be shown during the Vino’s party on June 11. Then you can act like a star and rub shoulders with celebrities & producers. If your video is really good (funny), you could win one of the prizes:

· First Place: $1500 cash plus 3 cases of B.C, wine
· Second Place: $750 plus 2 cases of B.C. wine
· Third Place: $250 cash plus 1 case of B.C. wine

All 24 finalists will receive 2 free tickets to the Vino’s party plus one night free hotel accommodation in Osoyoos during the festival. So spread the word to your friends who may want to do a submission as well. For further details please go to: www.osoyooscelebritywinefestival.com/vinos

BC Wine Deal: May 6th, 2011

The following wines have been reduced in price at participating VQA wine shops. Some reductions are due to new vintages being released soon and others are simply to help move stock.

Aces Pocket King Red was $45.43 - now $34.90
Camelot Chardonnay was $24 - now $23
JT Private Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was $16.99 - now $15.49
JT Private Reseve Sauvignon Blanc was $13.99 - now $12.49
JT Private Reserve Shiraz was $19.99 - now $18.49
Prospect Winery Fats Johnson Pinot Noir was $19.99 - now $16.99
Prospect Winery Sauvignon Blanc was $13 - now $11
Red Rooster Meritage was $24.99 - now $22.99
Robin Ridge Merlot was $23.92 - now $19.90
Saturna Island Pinot Noir was $18.95 - now $15.99
See Ya Later Ranch Semillon was $19.99 - now $14.99
Thornhaven Evolution was $31.90 - now $26.90