PRODUCT: Wine As “Table Decor” (With A Mantra!)
Does the label and fancy cap color influence |
When you’re an editor, you get hundreds of pitches (emails or letters) everyday, from product manufacturers or PR firms that represent them. The good pitches try to put a new spin on the product.
Most products are not revolutionary or even different—another granola, another line of pasta sauce “made from Grandma’s recipe,” and so forth. Thus, we had to chuckle when we received this pitch for HobNob Wines (a brand we’re not familiar with). Nothing was mentioned about the quality of the wine. Instead: “Each budget-friendly bottle doubles as décor while complementing your holiday feast.” They didn’t mean, “stick a candle in the empty bottle.” They were referring to their snazzy bottle labels and coordinated cap colors. The wine bottle as table décor? So we should buy wines because of the snazzy labels? Because our guests don’t know what they’re drinking, as long as it’s alcohol? |
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| And there’s more: This wine has a mantra: “at the center of it all.” Mantra? At the center of—say what?
We’ve heard some people mis-use the word “mantra” instead of slogan, diminishing a profound word that means “capable of creating a spiritual transformation.” Buddhists, Hindus, Jains and wordsmiths of the world: protest! While we can LOL at the “mantra,” we’re bemused by the concept of wine as table décor. It sure would save on the flowers! Maybe we run in rarefied circles, but our guests would be much more impressed with some bottles of 1945 Mouton Rothschild, 1895 Yquem and 1931 Quinta do Noval Nacional. Now that’s table décor! (In fact, if that’s how you’re decorating your table, please invite us to dinner!) If you’re not sure about which wine to buy, don’t pick the spiffy label. Consult your wine store clerk, who will be able to point you to substance (the best-tasting wine) over style (the best-looking packaging), for the same price. Anyone who asks for a wine with a mantra may get what he or she deserves.
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