The End of "Critter" Labels?

Megan Haverkorn has a thorough analysis of the 'critter' category of wines and boldly predicts that these labels will begin their decline in 2007. While I admire her bravado, I have to disagree (somewhat). Primarily, I disagree because I don't like the 'critter' category label (there's a pun in there somewhere). I see these as Constellation sees them (as detailed in her article) as labels that are alternative to the old boring labels of yore (look at the newly redesigned Fetzer label to see an example). Call them 'adventure labels' 'millenial labels' or just 'different labels', I don't care - I think they're here to stay. That said, I do believe that some of them will be culled out as the current oversupply of wine (that many of these wines are sourced from) dries up and we move to a position of undersupply - at least in California. However, that's a function of supply, not one of demand.

I also disagree with "once the label becomes more important than the wine inside, the brand is going to have problems". I think that many brands - like Coke, Oreo's, Budweiser, and many more - have truly transcended "what's inside" and have become about the brand. Do people primarily drink Coke because they think it tastes good? Bud? Come on! You drink/eat products long enough and they actually influence your tastes. Good branding can drive consumer tastes in different directions! (okay, even for me that's a little scary)

Bottom line, whether they are gateway wines, millenials' chosen quaff or just less stuffy than your Grandmother's Glen Ellen, it doesn't matter. These wines remove some of the pretension wine suffers from and let's it be.....dare I say it.....A BEVERAGE!!! Let's hope they, or at least the attitude they bring to the industry, are here to stay.