The precision of naming takes away from the uniqueness of seeing. –Pierre Bonnard
When it comes to deciding on a wine to buy, most people rely on one of a few factors: Recommendations (friends, family, or expert opinions), price, name, and imagery. Of course you take into account types of wine, vintages, and the regions they are produced in. And recommendations and critiques often don’t share the exact same tastes as you. In the end buying a bottle of wine is no different than that of a book. Unless we open it up and take a gander inside, the only thing we can base the potential quality off of is the author/producer, cover/label, and title/name.
Few people actually care who produces something, the only concern is that what is about to be purchased is quality. Most writers, artists, and even composers don’t become well known until well after they have died. But their creations were no less brilliant when they were first released, they simply were not given the attention deserved, and as such a lack of recognition follows. This same logic holds true in the wine world. In the world of wine we often complicate matters by focusing on the well-known names and brands, or the specific regions where a wine was produced.
No doubt France has a stranglehold on the market for preferred regions amongst consumers, but would not it be nice to find something unique? Something you haven’t tried before or ever heard of? Don’t most great things in this world come as a surprise? There’s little to get excited over the expected, which is why I would urge every reader to break outside of their comfort zone, and give unknown wines a try. You may be let down a handful of times, but when you finally stumble upon that special Black Swan of a wine, you will treasure that unexpected finding more than anything before. Mainly because it came as a pleasant surprise
How to Increase Your Chances of Finding a Black Swan Wine
The only way to find something you have never found before is to look. Considering wine bottles are like books, there are only a few signs which can guide you in the right direction to finding something you will enjoy. For starters, stick with wines you know you already like to drink. Whether they are reds, whites, roses, sparkling or fortified wines, just stick with a type of wine you know you enjoy and begin your testing there.
Now comes the fun part. Choosing a wine based on no prior knowledge, because remember if you were hinted towards a certain wine, it is no longer a Black Swan Wine and will not be as special to you. We are searching, almost like a treasure hunt, for something that will surprise you and only you. This means outside of the wine type we are only going to be concentrated on two different factors, the name of the wine and its label design. Almost in the same fashion as you would try to find a new book in the store, you will be simply browsing, meandering, and fingering through a few bottles before finally settling on one.
We have to remember that in this pursuit, marketing sells. The bottles design, the words used, feelings evoked, colors and images displayed are all there for one reason… to entice you into buying their product. Normally we ignore advertisements in our daily life, but as you peruse up and down the wine aisles, allow yourself to be influenced. Just as you would with a clever book you have found. Many times marketers actually try to convey on the bottle what best represents the contents inside of it. And it is exactly this that will be our guiding compass toward our Black Swan Wine.
A Wines Name and Label Design
A wines name can have any number of meanings. They can be riddles, play on words, or even hint toward something in the wine itself. A personal Black Swan Wine I myself stumbled upon is aptly named The velvet Devil and is a Dry Merlot produced in Washington. To be honest, not only the name but the simple yet daring label as well is what drew me towards it. The name implied that the mouthfeel would be velvety and perhaps the overtone a little edgy. Surprisingly, that is exactly what I found it to be, and was more than surprised with the wines quality. Not to mention, at $12 a bottle, I could not really go wrong trying it out.
Now, let’s compare this to a wine that is both known and respected world-wide, the Dom Perignon Brut Rose. At $400 a bottle, you would think they would put a little of their budget into the marketing for it. But the bottle is dull, boring, and overall just safe. It simply has that classic old world look which is exactly what their consumer base expects. No surprises, nothing fancy. Dom Perignon sells based on their name and the exceeding quality of their wine… nothing else. They don’t need to advertise heavily for it and as such don’t.
But this is the pitfall we should attempt to avoid when browsing for wine. If the label of the Dom Perignon was the same, save for the name, and the price was reduced to say $20 a bottle, what would you expect of it? Certainly not the quality of actual Perignon I would hope. They say emulation is the biggest form of flattery. Well emulation is also what helps to confuse brand identity and allows sales to be had by those that wish they could afford the real deal but can’t. Though when trying to find your Black Swan Wine, don’t entirely discount simplicity. Sometimes, that’s actually what embodies the wine. Something that is basic, simple, and elegant, you simply have to keep your guard up to determine when that simplicity is authentic and when it is intended to dupe.
It should go without saying, but cost does not always equate to quality. Wine is valued by its price, while quality is determined by its flavor. Don’t think just because something is cheap it’s not worth a try, take my example of The Velvet devil. By the cost alone you would think it to be low quality, but it is entirely suitable as a table wine and fully worthy of being brought as a gift to dinner.
Finally, when looking at the labelling on a bottle, try to decode any imagery that there might be. Take the Van Duzer Pinot Noir for example. If you look at the label on this wine, before reading the description, try to infer a few things about it. If I were to take a crack at it myself, I would notice the dark grapes or cherries being held, the fruit and leaves entangled in the hair, and the elegantly whimsical pose being held. From my observation I would guess that there would be hints of dark fruit, an earthy tone, and perhaps a flavor which overall dances across the palate. Imagining the woman dancing herself, or inviting you toward her. Making it an overall rather balanced wine.
Come to find out the actual description of the wine reads, “A complex nose of black cherry, cocoa, tobacco and spice introduced flavors that coat the mouth with deep, ripe fruit. A structure of balanced acidity and soft, integrated tannins extends the harmony in a rich, long finish.” Now obviously I missed a few points but overall, based on the imagery, I was hinted toward believing what the wine actually tasted like and was rather close in my examination.
In the end, trying to find a Black Swan Wine, or something new to you that you enjoy can be fun and exciting. Rather than browsing through the wine aisles in a dull and boring fashion, treat it as a treasure hunt. Decode names and images, and perhaps you may find something you never knew you wanted. You can even browse the internet for a wider selection. I stumbled across the wines I have mentioned on a website which deals with selling wine online.
So long as you don’t become frustrated after a few poor picks, you’ll no doubt start to find a few you actually like. The beautiful part to this is that you will rarely ever be told to try many these wines. Whether by friends, family, or supposed experts, they can easily slip by unnoticed and un-tasted. Which in the end is an absolute crying shame.
The author of this article is Damien Wilhelmi. If you enjoyed this piece you can follow me on Twitter @CustParadigm. When I’m not writing about new and interesting ways to find decent wines, I’m generally practising what I preach as my journey for Black Swan Wines is never complete.
Jeremy
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