Mountain Views News, Pasadena Edition [Sierra Madre] Saturday, January 20, 2018

Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 20, 2018 9FOOD AND DRINK & MORE Mountain Views-News Saturday, January 20, 2018 9FOOD AND DRINK & MORE 
TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dillsthechefknows@yahoo.com
WACKY WINE NAMES 


With Valentine’s Day Fast approaching, I take apause this week to find the most wacky and bizarrewine names on the market today. Have you everpondered how the heck some of these namesactually made it onto a wine label and then ontoa store shelf? I pride my work here on wines that 
are always available 

on your favorite wineretailers shelves, 
although this week Imake no guarantees.
I wonder whether as 
much consideration 
has gone into the labelas coming up with theperfect blend, or is itthat the wine just isn’tthat good and with abizarre name maybesomeone will buy it.
I’ve been told that 
getting your wine ona shelf is very difficult,
especially for small 
boutique wines.

Most wines are 
named for their grapevariety or for the placewhere the grapes grew.
That information, plus the name of the producer,
becomes the shorthand name often used when 
talking about the wine. For example, LucasLewellen of Solvang (yes, there is a Lew at theLucas Lewellen Winery), and Wild Horse Winerywhich was started by two college students at SanLuis Obispo who noticed wild horses roaming thefields above the college. Here are a few more 

Toasted Head Chardonnay - The ends of thebarrels, or “heads”, are and can be ordered “toasted” 
for additional flavor if preferred.

Prisoner Blend - David Phinney started workingat the Robert Mondavi Winery as a temporaryharvest worker. He loved the job but figured if hewas going to work that hard it might as well be forhimself. So in 1998, he founded Orin Swift Cellars, 
named in honor of his parents; Orin is his father’smiddle name and Swift is his mother’s maiden 
name. And the name Prisoner? When Phinneywas looking for a label for his latest zinfandelblended wine, he used a painting by Spanish artistFrancisco Jose de Goya (1746-1828), given to himby his parents when he was 12 years old. Years laterin 2000, it became the inspiration for the label ofhis award winning wine, The Prisoner…namedafter Goya’s etching, La Petite Prisonier.

Mad House Wife Chardonnay - Not mad at all,
just a few ladies who wanted wine that is a valueand a little free time away from the kids. 

Hey Mambo – It wasn’t the label that caughtmy attention; it was the name. Makes me want to 
mambo, I guess that’s the point.

Plungerhead Wine – Eddie..was employed by alocal winery, and according to local legend, aftergiving the creative department a bit of grief during 


a wine brand creative process, a mysterious bottleof wine bearing a label that was eerily familiar andquite uncanny made its way to Eddie’s desk. Thecharacter on the label had his face, his signaturefacial hair and was wearing his favorite purpleblazer. However, on the label he was also wearing ared toilet plunger hat, wine barrels for trousers andholding a sign that simply said, “Plungerhead.” 

Rex Goliath - The name might not be thatobscure, but the story sure is, this wine beingnamed after a 47-pound fictional rooster.

Screaming Eagle - (I haven’t been there but theytell me it’s nice) Don Henley Hotel California, oneof the most sought after California wines. Bottlescan go for as high as $2500 to $3000. Gettingsomeone on the phone at the winery was likefinding Howard Hughes, but once that happened Iwas told that founder Jean Phillips named many ofher early pet projects Screaming Eagles. The namewas a tribute to the Fighting Screaming EagleSquadrons of WWII. 

You have a few favorites? Visit my websitepeterdills.com and listen to Dining with Dills onKRLA AM 870 on Saturdays at 4:30 PM 

Serving: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, And Catering 
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com