Skip to main content

Morning Annoyance

I was grocery shopping at HEB in Sugar Land this morning when this sign caught my eye. I believe that this is deceptive as this is American-made sparkling wine and was definitely not made in Champagne, France.
I find this annoying because it just isn't truthful. It makes me wonder if I should believe that this particular lettuce is organic or that the beef that says grass-fed on it is really grass-fed. Can I count on HEB's honesty with other products when they are clearly misleading their customers with this price sign?
The reality is that HEB is probably not trying to be dishonest. A stocker with no wine knowledge probably set this up (I hope it wasn't their actual wine guy). Why would that person just add the false information "Champagne" to the price label? In the stocker's defense, probably because "Methode Champenoise" is the main thing that you see on the display boxes from the producer. They could say sparkling wine, they could say made in the traditional method, they could say "methode traditionnelle" if they just feel like they need to print French words on what is an American-made with Spanish ties product but they chose adding "Champenoise" to their packaging. Is it a nod to the level of wine knowledge sophistication they believe their consumers to have or is it an attempt to be deceptive on Gloria Ferrer's part? I will let you decide.
To HEB, you do need to change your sign because tricky packaging doesn't make you exempt from the truth on your signs and that particular product that you are selling is NOT Champagne.
Labels:

Comments

  1. New Hampshire WinemanFebruary 17, 2012 at 3:53 PM

    Sandra, there is propaganda everywhere; sometimes we care about it and sometimes we don't, but In vino veritas. What we see, what we taste, what we smell, and what we handle can get us past the axiom that 'all men are liars' so as to get to the truth, and judging from your review record, I believe you :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sandra CrittendenFebruary 17, 2012 at 4:31 PM

    Thanks Dennis :)I just find it annoying when sparkling wine makers try to cash in on Champagne's reputation, I think they should be proud of their own product and let us know what makes it special. When the largest print that is visible on the exterior packaging (which is part of the display) is the French "Champenoise", then it looks like someone is trying to cash in on another's reputation rather than showcasing what they are.
    Of greater concern to me is my grocery store's inability to correctly transfer info from bulk packaging to store labels. It does make me wonder if an employee cuts up a large round of cheese, do they make sure they put in the correct info to make name and price labels or do they just put whatever they think it is...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jade FloydFebruary 28, 2012 at 3:28 PM

    You should check out the Center for Wine Origins. http://www.wineorigins.com/ They were founded in 2005 by the wine growing regions of Champagne, France, and Porto, Portugal. These are both regulated by the European system of appellations, designed to ensure authenticity and quality for consumers. The Center represents the Comité Interprofessionnel du Vin de Champagne (CIVC), the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses of Champagne; and the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto (IVDP), the trade association that represents all the grape growers and houses in Porto and the Douro Valley. The Center works to educate chefs, sommeliers, retailers, consumers, policymakers and the media about the importance of keeping wine labels accurate.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Thank you for reading Wine Life - Houston.

Popular posts from this blog

Winemaker, Andrés Sánchez of Alcance

I was invited to a media and trade tasting lunch at Backstreet Cafe with Andrés Sánchez, the winemaker for Alcance, a Jackson Family winery. As guests arrived, we were greeted with a glass of lightly chilled Alcance Chardonnay 2016, a perfect start for a hot summer day in Houston. This rich and elegant Chardonnay is grown on granitic soils in a coastal mountain vineyard in the Valle de Itata. Despite my multiple wine classes, this was a growing area with which I was not familiar. This vineyard is located between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean about 12 miles from the coast which as Sánchez pointed out adds a nice sea influence to the wine. The Chardonnay was pleasantly fresh with light citrus notes and a touch of butterscotch with a distinct saline mineralty throughout the slightly creamy finish.  A mixed appetizer platter with Gulf Coast Beignets, duck spring rolss, asparagus and zuchini flatbread, and lump crab cakes on red pepper beurre blanc were br...
Post a Comment
Read more

Darioush Wine Tasting at Pappas Grill

I went to a  Darioush wine tasting last Friday. What a delight! I found every bottle we tasted to be exceptional. Darioush is well-known for their Bordeaux styled wines so I was already familiar with both the Darioush "Signature" and the Estate Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa Valley. They are both highly rated and consistently good. The Caravan is the lower priced of the two and is something that I keep in stock at home. The wines in the line up for the evening were all from Napa Valley and included: 2008 Signature Viognier, 2005 Signature Chardonnay, 2005 Signature Merlot, 2007 Signature Shiraz, 2007 Estate Caravan Cabernet Sauvignon, and both the 2006 & 2007 Signature Cabernet Sauvignon. The 2007 was opened by mistake which was a bonus to all who were present. The Viognier varietal has been hit and miss for me at tastings in the past but this offering was an absolute stand out. It was very fragrant with floral notes of jasmine and or...
Post a Comment
Read more

"The Zen of Zin" Tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks

On Friday evening, my husband and I attended the Zinfandel wine tasting at Fleming's in River Oaks. My husband gets totally pumped up for any and all things Zinfandel but what I found really intriguing in the line up of wines were the aged offerings. Brent Sloan, managing partner at Houston's premier wine storage facility Nos Caves Vin, had provided Fleming's with four 18 year old bottlings and one 17 year old bottling from his collection of some of his favorites. I found this interesting because 1. I don't believe that I have ever had an 18 year old Zinfandel before this evening and 2. From various wine classes, I had always heard that at best Zinfandel had very limited aging ability. So, I was definitely excited to give these wines a taste. There were also an additional five younger Zinfandel wines that are some of Fleming's best sellers. The entire tasting line up for the evening included: 2009 Orin Swift Saldo - California 2007 Schulz "Lampyridae...
5 comments
Read more