Label Lust: Siete

As a grocery store wine buyer, I am always on the lookout for wines with unique and interesting labels. They look great on the shelf and especially when stacked by the case. (If the wine comes in an equally cool box with similar graphics, I practically swoon.) Generally I dread labels that are too busy and/or corny, or ones that were created by a relative of the winery owner. Having a family member design a wine label based on their folksy, amateurish art is like loaning them money: never a good idea.

I absolutely love the domino label of the Siete. It’s clean, unique, and reinforces the name of the wine. You’ve got to pick it up and look at it!  I wish I was a domino enthusiast so I could bring it to a tournament; it might even inspire me to play.  (I also wish it had a talking label that would play a certain domino-inspired Ice Cube quote from Boyz in the Hood that is too profane for fair Foodista.  I suggest you find it on YouTube.)

And lest you think I’m all surface and no substance, I must tell you that the wine is delicious. It’s a Tempranillo/Garnacha blend from the Navarra region of Spain, and is certified organic. I also like that it’s unoaked so you don’t get beat up by aggressive vanilla extract flavors that oak barrels can impart.  I don’t think oak is the devil, but I find unoaked reds to be very pure and refreshing.  And much better with food.  The Siete would be great with chicken or pork, maybe with an nice zesty spice rub and some char from the grill.

So what gets your attention (or your goat) when it comes to wine labels?

Jameson Fink is a wine buyer at a bustling grocery store in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood. He moved to Seattle from Chicago, where he dabbled in the restaurant and wine industries, five years ago to pursue a full-time career in wine. He’d rather be drinking Champagne and eating popcorn right now.

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