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Slideshow
The world’s rudest wine names
Using controversial names or labels in the wine industry has been going on for some time.
Earlier this week we reported that a wine from Hundred Acre owner Jayson Woodbridge was causing problems in the US because of its controversial name.
The wine is called If You See Kay, which sounds like the spelling of a four-letter expletive when said out loud, and this has ruffled feathers in the US state of New Hampshire.
At least two executive councillors have questioned the State Liquor Commission’s judgment in allowing the wine to be sold at state stores in New Hampshire.
As is often the case with this kind of publicity the wine, priced at US$19.99, is selling well.
But this is not the first time that wine names or labels have courted controversy; whether it is with label design or a name rudeness is nothing new to the wine industry.
Stu Pedasso
Stu Pedasso comes from Sonoma County in California and is a red Zinfandel. It’s one of those names that needs to be said out loud.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Rae-Jean Beach
Rae-Jean Beach is another wine from the Stu Pedasso Cellars in California. This white wine blend is also one with a name that should be said out loud.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Sassy Bitch
Sassy Bitch offers a range of Chilean wines including Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Tami Fricks, who started the business, said she decided on the name because, “she has the sassiest friends”.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Royal Bitch
Royal Bitch wines again come from Chile and are distributed by JV Wines in the US. The Royal Bitch range includes Chardonnay, Merlot and Shiraz.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Château D’Arse Fitou
This Fitou is made up of 45% Carignan, 35% Grenache, 20% Syrah, it is described as having a, “chunky frame and weight, with rounded tannins and a rich, persistent finish”.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Pisse-Dru Beaujolais
Although this may be rude to Anglos the phrase “ça pisse dru” comes from a French slang used by winemakers and means that the grapes are to the winemaker’s liking and will make a delicious wine. This Beaujolais is described as being, “cheeky and light-hearted, it’s refreshment in a bottle”.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Bitch
Straight to the point in that wonderfully Australian way; this is a 100% Grenache from R Wines. Winemakers Chris Ringland and Lisa Wetherell use fruit from the Barossa Valley in South Australia, the only reference to the name is, “it’s so darn hard to bitch about the heat, when there is so much lip-smackingly good fruit”.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Ménage à Trois
The makers of these blended wines say that Menage a Trois “examines what happens when you put three, single, young grapes in one exquisite bottle”.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Cycles Gladiator – the nude nymph
This wine caused controversy back in 2009, when it was banned in the state of Alabama because it was deemed to be “pornographic”. Four wines are produced under the Cycles Gladiator label – Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinot Noir.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Playboy wine
If a cartoon nymph was banned in Alabama, it is hard to see that wine labels featuring photos from the front cover of Playboy would be allowed either.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Fat Bastard
It is pretty obvious what is offensive about this range of French wines, although the name comes from a fun expression used by founder Guy Anderson, who used it to describe things he considered to be great.
Have you seen a rude wine name or label? Send a picture to us and we’ll publish the best ones.
Thank you for this compilation.
However, I seriously doubt Château d’Arse is rude, at least to a french ear.
There is a Château d’Arces near Grenoble (not a wine, a real castle), and also a Château d’Ars near Lyon, to mention just a few.
ARS, ARSE, ARCE, ARCES : different spellings, but same pronunciation in French.
Pronunciation close to the rude english word you are hinting, but actually far from it: the origin is Latin ARX, ARCIS which means fortress.
who cares about what the “french ear” thinks is rude? is this published in france? no? then why does your pretentious ass have to bring it up? trying to ruin the article? no one asked for an explanation, this was just for a laugh, thanks for screwing it up for everyone Frenchie McEscargot
Maybe, Spanky, but considering that The Drinks Business was eviscerated yesterday for an equally rude illustration, I think the joke winds up on them.
Glad to see we did NOT make the list http://www.txtcellars.com … GR8!!!
I loved the, short lived, “Stu Pedaso” from the “Sonoma Beach” appellation. Horrible wine, but I bought it for the name. I still wish I would have gotten one of the wanted posters.
Our brand name and wine labels are a tad on the controversial side… we’re called “Frisky Midget”. Our labels feature a series of babushka (matryoshka) dolls. As you turn the bottle, the smallest doll is revealed, and she’s wearing some pretty saucy lingerie. She’s short in stature, and frisky in nature. Hence the name Frisky Midget.
Here are a few pics: http://lovelypackage.com/frisky-midget/
Well, none of those labels seems or sounds rude to me… Puritanism is still a plague, if I may believe this… However, there was also a story about a certain wine with the flamboyant name If You See Kaye? What about that one? If you pronounce it properly (slang), you might get the F or ‘beep’ word forbidden in the States on TV and more… I don’t think personally that it is a ‘rude’ word, kids of 6 use it all the time at school, but it was meant ‘rude’ by some critics… (By the way it seems to sell very well, even in the States)
Thank you for focusing on Fat bastard wines ! But we would like to let you know that Fat bastard is exclusively French ! All the wines are Vins de Pays d’Oc (South of France) and the founder is the Gabriel Meffre winery (France – Gigondas – http://www.gabrielmeffre.fr). Created in 1994 with a (French !) Chardonnay and Syrah, the range is now composed of 8 wines (Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon…). If you want to know more about Fat bastard, look at http://fatbastardwines.com
I Love clever wine labels – as much as pretty ones
I’ve found that RedHead Studios have consistently clever labels, my fave, the “Night of the Living Red”, complete with dripping red wax and a little envelope of 1920′s medical drawings!! Great for halloween! Check out a few others on the link above http://www.mashdesign.com.au/projects_html/redheads_studio.html
In 2004 my wife Sandra and I lived in Greyton in the western cape,we had a small holding with a half acre of shiraz,that year we made a 100% shiraz with some help from friends in the wine industry.The name that sprung to mind had it’s inception from the view of the kloof from our stoop ,the name Clevage lepet befor my eye’s and the name was born,of our lusious full bodied red wine.
Possibly the greatest was the cheap “champagne” called Rene Pogel which was sold in Australia for many years and was a market leader. It took a long time before anybody noticed what it said backwards…
Sorry, failed! There is not one genuinely original rude name here! How about Terre Arse (Sicily) and one called Condom! They exist. get off your butts and do some real research!