The Wine for People Who Don't Take Wine Too Seriously

What if we took off wine from its pedestal and just took it for what it really is? Because underneath all the stuffy names for grapes and the snobbish reputation, wine was meant for drinking, not overthinking.

And if there is one person who enjoys his wine, has a passion for making it and has the most fun naming it, it must be Aussie winemaker Francis "d'Arry" d'Arenberg Osborn. 

Taking it easy here with son Chester, a fourth generation chief winemaker

D'Arry, who led d'Arenberg to being Winery of the Year by Wine & Spirits Magazine, is quite notorious for giving his bottled creations weird and decidedly quirky labels. He's named his wines Hermit Crab, Stump Jump and even "Cenosilicaphobic Cat" (after finding his son's less-than-sober cat named "booze" drinking spilled red wine. Cenosilicaphobic means fear of empty glasses.)

But for all his humor, he has some serious accolades under his belt and has earned the respect of those in the industry... all while he's dressed down to his most comfortable Hawaiian shirt.  Because, as Anthony Madigan of Australia’s Wine Business Magazine says “When your wines are as good as d’Arenberg’s and you’ve won just about every prize worth winning including over a thousand medals, the chief winemaker can wear whatever he likes.”

One of his world-renowned wines, which was awarded 96 points and won over the Penfolds Grange in the Penguin Good Wine Guide 2010, is the Dead Arm Shiraz. Like all his good wines, this bottle's name has a good story behind it. It is joked that it's called dead arm because the bottle is so heavy that your arm hardly worked after drinking it. But more interestingly, Dead Arm is actually a vine disease which causes half of a vine or its "arm" to die, while the other half, probably because it gets double the nutrients, produces the most amazing grapes.  

Another award winning bottle (which won gold medals in the Royal Adelaide Show '06 and the Sydney International Wine Challenge in '08) is the Laughing Magpie.  The vineyards in which they harvest its grapes are home to the unique native Australian bird, the Kookaburra that makes a laughing call. The Osborn family then named their two wild pet Kookaburras the “Laughing Magpies,” which is another type of bird that looks nothing like the Kookaburra save for its black and white color. But since the name has stuck, and the Magpie is black with a stripe of white feathers, they thought why not name McLaren Vale's first ever Shiraz Viognier blend combining the (black) Shiraz and (white) Viognier after it?

On to another bottle, the Feral Fox, which tells of the animal found roaming in Adelaide Hills. Though normally carnivorous, they seemed to have developed an appetite for the grapes in these parts. Although they are often found munching on the fruits hanging on the lower parts of the vines, the winemakers don’t mind as they make good crop thinners, enhancing the quality of grapes left above. After feeding on the grapes, they also fertilize the soil because the grapes have a laxative effect on these foxes.

"Up until bottling, our winemaking is deadly serious. From then on, it's all about having fun," says d'Arry.  Understanding the characteristics of each individual vineyard, and each parcel of fruit, are all part of their intimate knowledge of their wine and their home.  The philosophy behind the famous red stripe found on every bottle - to be different -  does not only apply to their distinct choices for catchy names, but to their approach in winemaking. "You've got to have a feel for your raw materials before you're able to express your artistic vision," says Chester. 

D'Arenberg's wine names are somehow a testament to the winemaker's personal relationship with his vines and his vineyard. From the role of surrounding wildlife in each harvest season, to the many tools used in the trade, to age-old family traditions - all these short stories or "vignettes"  are captured in the wonderful names that go into every bottle. That's what goes into each critically acclaimed bottle of d'Arenberg's wine collection.

If you want more fun facts (with humorous illustrations) behind the names of d'Arenberg's wines, I highly recommend that you go to http://www.darenberg.com.au/ and look up Money Spider, Broken Fishplate and The Galvo Garage!

For those who want a taste of this legendary Australian brand, join Wine Depot's upcoming dinner event, "A Date with d'Arendberg," where a four course dinner will be paired with selected wines, happening March 26, 2010. Visit http://www.winedepot.com.ph/.