Don't Label Me

I would never buy a wine based on the label. My superior wine palate and knowledge means I don't need to resort to such trickery as a front label.




Wrong!

I'm a sucker for a wine label as much as any punter who goes into a bottle shop.


Exhibit A = Woods Crampton "The Big Show".

And fortunately for me, I'm not the only one who is susceptible to lures of wine marketers and their wily ways.



This Instagram post from Master of Wine Peter Scudamore-Smith, is acutely aware of the need for engaging labels.

For those interested in the psychology of wine labels and the ability of wine marketers to guide a customer in their purchasing behaviors. you can't go past this excellent article by News' Tony Love.

The story draws on insights from Professor Frank Lockshin from the University of Adelaide. Lockshin, a wine marketing expert and points out that on average a consumer takes 40 seconds to make a purchasing decision.


No pressure to get that label right.

Judging Cheese

Nothing like starting your initial blog with the most controversial of subjects - food judging. For this blog I am going for the simple 1 to 5 rating, but for those with a leaning towards technicalities, this is my rating table and it is very loosely based on the old cheddar cheese grading scale and still used in some dairy shows ;

To get a one cheese rating there is something drastically wrong and it is not in my personality type to embarrass anyone in public so you are not likely to ever see this rating. (Score: Less than 85 points - not edible)

A cheese that is very simple and made badly, likely to have a number of technical faults and made by a beginner, so keep your chin up and keep working at it. (Score: 87-90 points)

A cheese that would be awarded a silver medal at a respected show. Nothing flashy but true to style. (Score: 90 - 92 points)

A mighty fine cheese, likely to win a gold medal. Perfect maturity, true to style with distinct or unique flavours. (Score: 92 - 94 points)

Absolute excellence! Perfect maturity, complexity and length of flavour. This cheese would not only be something to write home about, you should head for the roof and start yelling very loudly right now. (Score:95+ points)