penguins

Penguins, Foxes, Wallabies

& Possums

Recently, wine marketing gurus seem to have discovered our fondness for animals in a big way. When it comes to deciding on a label for a new wine, critters are in! How about a nice bottle of BeaverTail - the All-Canadian response to wine's newest trend ?

While it may be the bold labels that catch the eye initially, it is the rich jammy fruit flavours of Yellowtail Shiraz (+624544), Yellowtail Chardonnay (+627802), Yellowtail Cabernet Sauvignon (+56473), Yellowtail Merlot (+19968) and the new Yellowtail Shiraz Cabernet (+116491) � all $12.99 - that bring wine lovers back for a second bottle. High residual sugar levels make these wines quite sweet (for �dry�) and very easy to like.

California was the next big player to enter the animal parade with Gray Fox. Cute and cuddly, the fuzzy little fox that adorns the label certainly draws the eye. Gray Fox Cabernet Sauvignon (+62315), Gray Fox Chardonnay (+43885) and Gray Fox Merlot (+43901) are straightforward, light and sound wines and reasonably true to their varietal character. They are excellent values at $7.99.

Like the Yellowtails, these wines are for drinking, not for tucking away in your cellar corner.Unlike those sweet, jammy Yellowtails from Oz, these cunning California Foxes rely more on decent quality and affordable, competitive pricing to bring wine lovers back. And the �Pick me because I�m cute� and keep buying me because I�m inexpensive� philosophy has ring-mastered this pleasant selection of light varietal wines into the Big Tent.

Walking the high wire between these twin poles of jammy fruit and absolute price, we now have the Little Penguin line of wines from Australia�s giant Southcorp. Little Penguins, according to the back labels, are very sociable and often gather to forage for delicacies. Are you catchin the clobber, cobber,?

Not quite as sweet as their Wallaby competition, these Little Penguins are almost every bit as crammed with jammy fruit. The Little Penguin Shiraz (+135251) is mulberry-spiced and ripely fruited. The Little Penguin Merlot (+135244) goes beyond sociable, past gregarious and all the way to rowdy � the prototypical party red!

The Little Penguin Chardonnay (+135236) is surprisingly sophisticated, considering the flightless party birds with which it associates. Luscious honeyed apple flavours finish off with a twist of sweet caramel and vanilla. At $11.99, the same excellent price as it�s other red Little Penguin flockmates, this wine is priced to dive off the shelves.

As entertaining as the wine and labels undoubtedly are, the Little Penguin website at http://www.thelittlepenguin.com/ borders on hilarious. Listen to Little Penguin mating calls, read atrocious Little Penguin jokes, leave a message in Penguin Personals for Paul.

And who�s Paul when he's at home anyway? : �Bored with all those pathetic penguins that look like everyone else in the colony? I'm a strapping specimen of little penguin machismo who likes to party all night. If you're into big bold the Little Penguin red wines and heavy preening, give me a call. You'll quickly discover that they don't call me "the other Tasmanian devil" for nothing.�

And if these various animal elixirs are too forward and fruity for your tastes � but you still feel the need for a stroll through the wine menagerie � consider Reynolds Little Boomey wines, also from Oz. �Little Boomey� is the nickname of the Possum who lives in their vineyards.

Little Boomey Shiraz (+627158), Little Boomey Chardonnay (+637942) and Little Boomey Cabernet Sauvignon (+627141) are all priced at $12.99. Unlike the bold Wallabies and the gregarious Penguins, the Possums on the Little Boomey labels are shy and often half-hidden by eucalyptus trees. The wines themselves are leaner, a little less sweet, and more classically built than their animal competitors. Perfect for the dinner table!

Can lowly Canada be far behind?

Remember that summer plague of tent caterpillars? Only truly adventurous wine lovers will want to contact Ray Reigstad. Check out Candace Renallspiece in the Duluth News Tribune : http://www.armywormwine.com/reviews.htm

Makes you wonder if the next flavour nuance in wine reviews might be: "leather and tobacco, with a hint of tent caterpillar".

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