Day 29: Perini Macaw Moscato
A few days ago I wrote about Barefoot wines, and why its Pink Moscato delivers on the promise of customer satisfaction: I didn’t buy that wine to take it “seriously.” I bought it just to drink, quickly and for fun, which was exactly what its marketing and packaging led me to expect.
Today, while visiting wineries during a trip to Brazil, I heard a strategy — and tasted a wine — that felt very familiar: the suggestion of a very laid back lifestyle and the very laid back wine to go with it.
Like the Barefoot Moscato, the Perini Macaw Moscato line doesn’t take itself too seriously; it’s intentionally uncomplicated and “happy.” In the same way that Barefoot hits on popular, positive associations of the California beach lifestyle, The Perini Macaw Moscato hits on popular, positive associations with Brazil — like carnival, bright colors, the Rio movie, last year’s World Cup, next year’s Olympic Games, and the natural wildlife of this country. The label brings to mind the Australian “critter wines,” with the iconic bird of Brazil on its label.
Cocktail recipes are also included in the promotional material — which, on the last day of this series, actually echoes the first day’s memory of mixing white wine with Sprite. So we’ve come, in a way, full circle: from the intention at the start of writing about popular wines that real, non-industry people drink, to the reality behind the creation and the marketing of exactly those wines.
It isn’t as though the formula for popular wines in the U.S. market is a big secret. And it isn’t as though international brands hold back from targeting exactly that taste profile, image, and price point. The Perini brand of Brazil has translated the formula using the bright colors and cultural references that make its origin unique. Its Moscato is sweet and light-bodied and flush with fruits like nectarine and pineapple. No one will buy this wine in order to take it “seriously,” which is exactly the intention.
It’s too soon to tell whether the Macaw Moscato will be commercially successful in the U.S., but it’s ticking many of the right boxes.
Quick Background Note: The Blue Collar Wine Guide is a 30-day, 30-wine experiment that looks at some of the world’s most popular, consumer-friendly wines. The idea is to take off my wine-writer shoes and stand instead in the shoes of Jane-and-Joe-in-front-of-a-wall-of-wine. Thank you for reading today’s post!
