Label
Art
How many times have you
purchased one wine over another because
of the label? Has a label ever moved you
to suddenly reach for the bottle and inspect
it more closely? Does a good label always
mean a good wine? Unfortunately, no. But,
one may reason, if as much attention was
given to the wine as was given to the label,
then you're probably in for a pleasant experience.
The Wine Skinny's featured label art each
issue is dedicated to those winemakers who
take the time and effort to make their wine
a total experience.
 New
Zealand's Matariki
winery takes its name from the Maori
name for the Pleiades star cluster. New
Zealand's indigenous Polynesian people,
like many groups over time and around the
world, celebrated the Pleiades' high visibility
in the night sky -- in Greek mythology,
they represented the Seven Sisters, while
to the Vikings and in many old European
languages, the cluster was compared to a
hen with chicks.
For the Maori, the cluster
symbolized a mother and her six daughters,
and Matariki's arrival on the shortest day
of the year (mid-June in the Southern Hemisphere)
represented the bringing of light and life
to the barren land of winter. Matariki's
appearance was studied for signs of what
the ensuing year might bring, and she stayed
in the sky to guide the seasons until the
autumn harvest, some nine months later,
when she disappeared below the western horizon.
The winery's labels reflect
the history behind the name in elegantly
simple way -- and the wines inside are pretty
tasty, too. Well done!
We recently the latest Sauvignon
Blanc from Matariki -- delish!
($18).
Lovely stuff, with ripe tropical melon and
citrus fruit that is balanced with clean
mineral notes and a lively finish. Ready
to drink now. Locate
this wine online or in your area.
|
