Sorry for the terrible photos, but there were taken surreptitiously with my iPhone. All I have to say about the Ed Hardy rose is.... seriously????
Is this where the world of wine is going? Or worse yet is this where Whole Foods - our "local" "organic" "specialty produce" store is going?
There's a reason I stopped buying wine at Whole Foods. Where there are many reasons, but this is definitely one of them. I hold Whole Foods in a higher position in my mind than Vons, Pavilions, Albertsons - at least the lighting is better and its cleaner - and then I see this. Increasingly they stock these sort of commodity wines that really have nothing to do with wine at all. I expect this at Ralph's and Vons, and I know there's a market for "wine as beverage" but this is far worse than that. It's "wine as novelty", it might as well be for sale at Spencer Gifts in the mall.
What's most amusing about this wine is the description, "Hot pink color with violet highlights". And its from France? How many hot pink roses do you see from France? No variety, no region listed as far as I can see... (Please correct me if I'm wrong) Put Ed Hardy on it and the people will buy it? In my heart of hearts I truly don't think people are that dumb. Let's see if Ed Hardy is still in style next year and if the brand can evolve into something more authentic. Let's see if our neighborhood Whole Foods at 3rd and Fairfax can get back to walking the "local" walk and not just talking the "local" talk. I know many small importers and wineries (and I'm not talking about my own!) that have had no luck with the wine people at WF and now I see why - they support the big guys.
3 comments:
People are that stupid. Sorry to say. Count the SUV's at Whole Foods next time you go.
Yeah, I saw this too and was horrified. The Ed Hardy red was about $12 a bottle (maybe $15?), a VdP d'Oc. Is the rosé not also a VdP d'Oc? One can get a really great rosé for $12 to $15 -- l'Hortus for instance!
While I didn't try the red, I think it's fair to assume it's probably cheap plonk that the French government would otherwise have to buy in bulk and throw away to subsidize the wine industry -- $1/bottle plonk at best, if the Christian Audigier licensing machine weren't rescuing it from such a fate.
We already know how high the mark-up is on wine at Whole Foods. Add to this the high mark-up the importer has tacked on to this to compensate for licensing fees, as well as the stupidity of the consumers willing to pay for the "image" and you are correct: this really is NOT about the wine at all. Blech.
Still, I have a tiny bit of interest in trying the Hello Kitty Prosecco. It comes with a little gold charm...so cute! (Just kidding. Sort of...)
Jill and Ian, I'm so glad you both agree with me! And I think you're right Jill, its VdP d'something. Probably Oc.
I think this is wine that could be running Prince Charles' car, no?
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