Mug Shots on Wine Bottles
Your Face on the Grape
By: Philip S. Kampe - Jan 22, 2016
When you have a major birthday, often the gifts you are given are never used. The thought, of course, is what counts.
Well, for my 65th, quite a substantial birthday and not one to boast about, a close friend sent me a case of Pinot Noir from Burgundy with my face on the label. It was a homage to me, one, that I eagerly accepted due to the importance of wine in my life.
As a wine journalist and wine judge, I have had my share of sampling wine from all over the world. When asked what my favorite wine region is, my normal answer is always Burgundy. The fact that the gift that was picked out for me was from the wine country in Burgundy immediately made me feel like the person who purchased the wine really knew my likes and dislikes.
What I received was a case of 12 bottles of Pinot Noir with a front label that had my photograph and a back label that came from the vineyard with the vital information regarding the wine in the bottle.
The gift was novel and will never be forgotten.
My job, as a journalist, was to find out where the gift came from and learn more, so, I, too, could gift someone else in the future.
After some minimal research, I found that the company 'PersonalWine' is responsible for my gift. Basically, a single bottle or more is bought and either a handmade label or an engraving is then attached to the face of the bottle to personalize it. Normally, the information about the wine is on the back label.
Regarding my gift, the label read: 2011 Evening Land Bourgogne Pinot Noir from Burgundy, France. 13% alcohol.
I looked up the cost at www.personalwine.com and found out that one bottle cost $34.99 and a case cost $31.49 a bottle, which included the personal labels.
Engraving was extra.
As my mother once said, for every pot, their is a lid. And this was my lid.