Wines With Funny And Unusual Labels

Wines With Funny And Unusual Labels – Episode #118

October 31, 2006

Wines tasted in this episode:

Today in the spirit of Halloween Gary tries four wines that have unique labels. See if Gary thinks these four have more style over substance and if the labels mask the wine (wink wink). Happy Halloween everyone and Boo!

65 Responses

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February 2, 2008

Klassh
Pretty sure that intro was the cutest thing ever. Wonder why no one is doing that anymore? Did Gary put the Kibosh on that little operation? What a heartless bastard.
February 20, 2007

TommyBoBo of WI
5th grade, The Green Hornet,, damn I still wish I had that costume.
January 29, 2007

J Crazy
Costumes rock. College. Second year. An ’80’s jogger. Funny story is that I don’t remember most of the night. I only remember waking up in a stranger’s apartment (no, not like THAT, unfortunately) and having to jog home the day after halloween in my high school track shorts, bright green wrist bands, a n orange top two sizes too small, thick black rimmed glasses and a head band to match the wrist bands. Needless too say I looked like Shreck meets Freddy Mercury. Didn’t have any wine that Halloween thought.
November 1, 2006

Katie
Great Intro!

QOD â€“ The best costume was not what I wore is what my Golden wore. I dressed her up as Paris Hiltonâ€™s dog Tinkerbell two years ago. She wore Chihuahua ears and a lot of bling. I think she is still mad at me for dressing her up.
November 1, 2006

Josh
One of the best intro’s so far. I think that kid has a future as a co-host.
November 1, 2006

JR Laz
Ditto on the questions from Tony S. and Wildebeest.

I think we can take one guess at WB’s though. No matter how hard he tries for objectivity, GV is in the biz of selling wine and therefore has a personal stake in what happens to sales if he totally trashes a wine. While I think Gary does a fantastic job trying to stay 100% objective, my hunch is his scores will not vary nearly to the degree they would if he was completely independent from the wine industry. Statistically speaking, I don’t think it would be very hard to prove this out Vs. other critics. Just another good reason points alone should not be your guide. Caveat emptor!!
November 1, 2006

Rafa From Mexico
Grat episode, the opening was the best.
November 1, 2006

JR Laz
Really great intro, still smiling.

GV, you looked a bit off your game today as the red wines disappointed — or was it me? Anyway, I really dug your episode on decanting, it makes me wonder why you don’t decant all your reds before tasting — or at least pour all the wines into their glasses a couple hours ahead? I recall reading that many wine ‘experts’, judges, etc. do this consistently to make sure the wines are given a real chance to open up. I’d have to imagine the aeration from a glass-pour is superior to just opening the bottles in advance — what do you think?

Also – ever thought about occasionally adding a ‘mystery wine’ to the show? Would serve as a control sample for your palette, especially if you’ve tasted it before. I think many of us would find it interesting to see how you score wines blind from time to time.

QOD – definitely Count Drac, cape, fangs and all, around 12 yrs old. Short, dark, dangerous and handsome, at least in my own mind.
November 1, 2006

Tony S.
Happy day after Halloween! Great intro. Best ever. My question for you is: I usually don’t watch these until the following day at lunch time, because I’m never around my computer at work, and at home, the LAST thing I want to do at home is sit in front of my computer. Anyway, if I’m watching these the day after, around noon, should I bother with a question like this or even commenting? I’m just curious when you stop reading the comments and start the next expisode of WLTV. Thanks.

QOD: Actually, I think my favorite costume ever was 2 years ago as a 34 year old, I dressed up as Da Coach. You know…Ditka! I had the vintage 80’s Bears sweater over the shirt and tie, had the hair right, found the perfect moustache and glasses. And dressing up like Da Coach in Chicago, you get A LOT of respect. I seriously thought that I was Coach. It was a great night. And I had a LOT of cheap beer all night. Perfect.

SEe you later,
T
GO BEARS!!!!
November 1, 2006

Bruce S
Gary,

So did you have a Miss Elizabeth with you when you were the Macho Man?
November 1, 2006

Italian Stallion
Gary, I would also love for you to try twenty bench….I thought the wine was horrible, but I would love to see your take on it
November 1, 2006

Julius
In addition to the WL spot in the NY Times, I think you should read Asimov’s article (on Jancis Robinson).
November 1, 2006

Mets fan 13
best opening ever!
November 1, 2006

TimF
Gary – How about trying this wine on the show today: Aphillanthes Cotes Du Rhone Villages Les Galets 2001?
November 1, 2006

Lawrence Leichtman
I have always avoided the cute labeled wines as marketing gimmicks without much wine to them so I have never tried them. Thanks for doing it for me Gary. You may have to try Fat Bastard etc. as well so I don’t have to. Loved the intro.
Spent 28 years in a costume provided by Uncle Sam so can’t really remember any other.
Question, you say you really respect Robert Parker but seem to disagree with him every time. Are there any wine writers who you agree with frequently?
November 1, 2006

Susan
Kahuna,
Boy, you are FUNNY!
That’s alot of nurses in the family.
Typing and drinking – that’s ok. Just as long as that’s not drinking and driving.
I am pretty sure typing is allowed!
I was in nurse’s training just long enough to know most doctors are a big pain.
I also went to college with some who became doctor’s. Most of them are sooooooooooo stuck up!
Ouch! I know maybe 3 doctors total out of hundreds who act like people. The rest act like royalty or worse!
All of my friends who are nurses, are just great!
The nurses usually end up doing 90% of the work
and the doctor’s take about 140% of the credit!
November 1, 2006

Sam Zen
toothpaste… yes, as in C-R-E-S-T. Not my favorite costume, but definitely the most unique.
November 1, 2006

stewart l
Favorite costume had to be a Conehead[from Saturday night live]-complete with pizza and the sex rings
November 1, 2006

Lynne
Great intro! Very clever, Eugene.

QOD: I had a broken leg when I was younger and couldn’t walk to go “Trick-or-Treating”, so I was dressed as a bloody victim of something resembling a nuclear war and my mother
made two of my siblings dress as a doctor and nurse. I was carried all over the place on a stretcher. Sounds like fun, but I got dropped several times “accidentally”. (Such were the recounts of the story when relayed to my parents ). Sibs are great!
November 1, 2006

Matthew L
Gary…GREAT episode. It went right to my question about the wine behind creative labels.

QOTD: I dressed up as many cartoon characters as a kid, but the costumes where much more…how shall I say this…creative. We didn’t have all the ready-made cosutmes. At best, you would have a cheap mask with a rubber band to hold it on. The rubber band would always break and you would have to either hold the mask to your face at someone’s door or just abandon the mask and say “Speed Racer” when the person said “Ohhhhh…and who are you supposed to be?”
November 1, 2006

Wildebeest
Vayner-chums,

fav costume: Freshman year of highschool, I dressed up as Hugh Hefner. I went to school wearing a robe & slippers, had a pipe hanging out of my mouth, and even spent a good portion of the day with a girl in each arm. Fun stuff!

I’ve been wondering for some time now about the scores on the show. Mainly, it seems that there’s a MUCH bigger gap between an 89 and a 90 than there is between any other consecutive scores. 88’s and 89’s are often “a little bit disappointing” whereas, a 90 can often mean that GV is “BLOWN AWAY!” What’s the deal? Why don’t we ever see a score of 60 or 70?
October 31, 2006

KAHUNA
“but all I ever got was to put ice on it” good lord I am drinking and typing again
October 31, 2006

DJA
Excellant opening – move over Gary V and for that matter Alister Cook.
Fun show!Thats getting with the spirit!
October 31, 2006

KAHUNA
Susan,
My wife is a nurse, my mother is a nurse, my godmother is a nurse, my aunt is a nurse, my best friends wife is a nurse- They are wonderful people but all I ever got was put on it. Now if I go for an X-ray the doctors are always asking when I broke something that I did not know was ever broken- ribs, scapula, toes, fingers, AC joint- they always had ice on them though!

Sad they do not even were those cute little Nurses dresses anymore. No offense to any doctors on line but my god having to deal with a nurse after being in the operating room with a doctor all day is not an easy task- It is probably why I have so much wine in the house!
October 31, 2006

eyeguy
Gary,

Great episode… and since you brought it up, that Chianti for 7 bones was a real looooser – just had nothing going on. Plan on giving a case of it away as a door prize!

Rich