It should come as no surprise that the label on a wine can have a significant impact on sales. I know I’ve seen some wines where the label totally “wowed” me and other labels that have made a wine appear unappealing to me. But this is a wine with a label that I just don’t get at all. It features a cartoon rabbit chilling on the beach with sunglasses, a cooler full of bottles on ice and a glass of wine in hand. This is not a label that makes me want to buy—or even taste—this wine.
The first thing I thought when I saw this label was, “can they do that?” If you’re as old as I am, you may remember the Hamm’s Beer Bear from many years ago. You don’t see this advertising icon around anymore because it was made illegal for beer companies to use cartoon characters in their advertising. But does the same law not apply to wine??? I assume someone at the winery must have looked into that before approving this label… at least I hope so.
But ultimately, it’s not the label that matters. It’s all about the wine. Considering the fact that I know I would be biased against this wine if I saw the label before tasting it, I should note that this one was tasted blind—as most wines reviewed here are.
Simple, but pleasant on the nose with black cherry, cola and a touch of tobacco. The palate has good fruit with cherry and blackberry flavors, but not a lot of depth. A strawberry flavor comes into play on the finish. It’s an OK and drinkable wine, but not one I would geek out about.
Wine: Wild Hare Cabernet Sauvignon
Variety: Cabernet Sauvignon
Vintage: 2008
Alcohol: 12.5%
Rating: 82
Price: $6.99
Disclosure: This wine was received as a sample.
I purchased a bottle during a visit last week to San Francisco. Saw it in a liquor store and bought it because my last name growing up was Hare. Much to my surprise, I actually enjoyed the wine and have added the bottle to my collection. Unfortunately it is now empty. Need to find where to get some more. All of my cousins are jealous and wanting one of their own.
That’s one reason to buy the wine. Your story reminds me of many years ago when I lived in Minneapolis and I came across a cheese called “Lemke Cheese” in a grocery store. I had to buy it, because it had my last name. But it was horrible and I never bought it again.
I purchased a bottle of Wild Hare Cabernet in Williamstown, Ma. a couple of weeks ago at the Wild Oats food co-op and I really enjoyed it. Not a really complex wine but very pleasant and enjoyable.
Going back for more on Monday.
Follow up on Wild Hare Cabernet, the label has been changed to a hare leaping through the vineyard , which is what initially caught my eye.