如何解码葡萄酒营销和瓶子吗Live Up to the Hype

Those labels wine merchants affix to bottles, touting a ‘staff pick’ or ‘hidden gem,’ are meant to move product. But do they serve the customer? Our wine columnist unpacks popular buzzwords and recommends bottles that warrant them.

USE YOUR WORDS The language of wine marketing can seem straightforward enough. But what do those buzzwords really say about a bottle?
Illustration:Fabio Buonocore

Jan. 6, 2022 2:52 pm ET

WALK INTO MOSTany wine shop and you’ll likely see signs touting a “hidden gem” or a “staff pick” or perhaps even an “unsung hero” or two. If you’re wondering what these terms really mean, you’re not alone.

Is a staff pick a wine a staffer actually loves or one the wine merchant needs to move? Similarly, is a hidden gem truly special but little known, or simply a bottle that has sat on the shelf a little too long? I recently queried retailers about why they attach certain phrases to certain bottles. In the process I found some wines that truly lived up to their buzzwords.

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