The lesson of christian louboutin mens wallet critter christian louboutin outlet labels Three blind moose, four emus, funky llamas.A menagerie of critter labels on wines has emerged in the past three years, all hoping to emulate the success of a certain yellow tailed marsupial.In 2005, these wines locked up $605 million in sales, and average sales of 77 new animal christian louboutin pumps sale labels launched since 2003 more than doubled those of their non critter rivals, according to acnielsen.So, it seems, what's on the label does make a difference.Now there are whispers that animal magnetism is beginning to lose its pull with consumers.Could it be the era of the technicolor kangaroo is on the wane?Constellation brands, the world's largest wine company which has reaped its share of profits from critter wines has started speaking not in terms of an animal category but instead of"Adventure labels,"Which lump emus and moose together with such brands asTwin fin, which features surfboards and a convertible on the beach.After south african wine producer golden kaan(Owned in part by germany's racke, one of yellow tail's european distributors)Put the matter to focus groups, they rebuffed the elephants and meerkats, electing for a simple gold reproduction of the african continent on its $9 bottles of cabernet sauvignon and sauvignon blanc. "We have more options than just to copy a successful brand and just put animals on the label,"Says marian kopp, golden kaan's president.There are lessons to derive from the critter years:Shoppers now have more interesting brand options than the same old leaves and flowers or creeks and canyons and mountains.At worst, the critters are relentlessly generic wines the easy drinking end product of a global wine glut.At best, they're interesting bottles aided by a bit of marketing legerdemain.Either way, they have played a key role in changing the rules of the business.Wine is finally being thought of as a style industry;Drinkers view their wine choices as an extension of their personal aesthetics.In 2004 and 2005, constellation commissioned a massive study to identify types of wine drinkers.While women formed the backbone of such categories as enthusiasts and satisfied sippers(And essentially keep the wine industry in business)A notable exception were the image seekers predominantly male, average age 35 who buy prestigious bottles when they're out to impress, but guzzle down the critters and other offbeat brands at home.Labels, then, are simply a barometer of a changing wine culture, one that is finally leaving behind its inferiority complex about what's both in and on the bottle.In large part, we've reached that point because the laid back branding has been paired with a conscious approach to make approachable, easy drinking wines. "And then if what's in the bottle is good it meets their expectations they'll come back and buy it a second and third time. "Don't christian louboutin womens sneakers underestimate the significance of the user friendly label.For well over a century, the templates were set by france:Either bordeaux's stately drawings of chateaus, somber serif fonts and gold leaf, or burgundy's stark minimalism, tailored to proclaim the pedigree of such grand cru vineyards as mazis chambertin or la tache.California's early efforts were mostly functional, with early pioneers like beaulieu vineyard essentially aping the french model.Then in the 1960s and early '70s, pioneers like robert mondavi and clos du val tried to bridge the gap visually between napa and the medoc.Mondavi's early labels, for instance, mimicked bordeaux's formal type and had images of the winery front and center, but the layout was sparsely new world, and his mission style facility was an icon of california's arrival on the wine scene.By the 1980s, as newcomers began to crowd the shelves, many wineries realized they needed something more to differentiate themselves.When artist bob nugent devised the artist collection labels for joe benziger's imagery series in 1985, the plan was to leave all the text off the front, providing a blank display for original commissioned works by noted artists a gambit to draw in the shopper and make the bottle itself a conversation piece. "We wanted them to be inquisitive,"Says nugent, who still curates labels for benziger's imagery estate winery,"To say, 'oh, that's interesting, what's this?' And take it off the shelf and read so they were holding the work of art in their hand. "The critter effect essentially works on the same principle.But it has left some of california's label pioneers skeptical.Bonny doon owner randall grahm, who with designer chuck house is responsible for such iconic labels as le cigare volant(With its now famous ufo), dismisses the animal mania as a"Cynical exercise,"The triumph of marketing over wine. "Frankly, i find it quite sickening and i feel quite guilty for my part for whatever role i played in leading everyone down this path,"Grahm says. "I don't now think that labels should be stuffy, but it's like we've missed the point.Now the packaging is more important than the wine itself. "Nor are winemaking superstars immune to the trend, with packagingbecoming a booster for fame.It's another lesson applied from fashion:The more collectible the product, the more iconic it must be.Christian louboutin fans can spot his shoes' lacquered red bottoms at 50 paces;Wine is no different.Collectors may turn their noses up at frogs and dogs, but anyone uncorking a bottle of helen turley's outrageously hard to get marcassin chardonnay or pinot noir complete with its stylized wild boar would be quite happy if the next table identified(Enviously)What they're drinking.The message has hit home in the old world too.France still turns out enough script on its labels to employ an army of calligraphers, and appellations still rule the roost.But forward thinking vintners like catherine and pierre breton in the loire valley, with their mondrian like color blocks, are leading the way with sleek postmodern labels.Spain has largely traded out its baroque designs for stark minimalism and aussie quality names. (Red guitar, anyone? )As debbie zachareas, wine director and co owner of bacar and ferry plaza wine merchant, puts it: "I think it's almost more a necessity to have a good package now. "Animal labels drove that message home, and last year brought success for the critters.Among the top 10 new wine brands tracked by the research firm information resources inc.Were monkey bay, 3 blind moose and four emus.But atop the list was.Twin fin.And among iri's broader list of 30 top brands, little penguin and smoking loon were interspersed with established, less cutesy options:Chateau ste.Michelle, beringer and italy's cavit.Is it that the animals are beginning to clutter the aisle?Can you tell blue marlin from blue fish? "I think people will probably ramp back the number of labels they put out there with animals on them," predicts Ben Dollard, president of Constellation's Pacific Wine Partners, which produces bothTwin fin and Four Emus.It may be that we don't need an animal to catch our eye in the supermarket aisle anymore, suggests liz thach, a professor of wine business and management at sonoma state university, because a broader new visual language for wine has emerged.Bright colors, eye catching fonts, memorably quirky names the palette of tools is broad.Perhaps it works, then, for don sebastiani sons to pitch screw kappa napa to drinkers under 30, or for gallo to bridge the gallic gap by slapping a red bicyclette riding chap on french table wine.But as younger drinkers become savvy and willing to spend a few dollars extra, quirky doesn't cut it. "The $12 to $15 range is really hot now, and so they're looking for a little more sophistication,"Thach says.

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