The Infamous Rouge

Laithwaites Wine has always been about providing a direct link between you, the customer at home and the winemakers in their vineyards. Normally, that link is simply the wine in your glass and a story or two from yours truly.

But that’s not to say it’s a one-way street. Our winemakers always like to hear what you have to say … many travel thousands of miles to meet you at our events. What follows is a transcript of the recent correspondence between one of our eagle-eyed customers and Aussie winemaker, Bob Berton. And it just goes to show that none of us are immune to the occasional slip-up …

28th June, 2011

Dear Director of Marketing,

As the acknowledged authority on our famous rogue Dick Turpin (in 1737 mistakenly said to have fled to Ireland) I was disturbed, in cashing all our Air Miles for wine, to discover that the character of your villainous Ned Kelly is seriously undermined by the label description of him as an “infamous rouge” on your Kelly Country Cabernet Sauvignon.

Nonetheless, rather than allow this rogue’s hirsute image to be sullied further, I thought you should have opportunity to redeem his notoriety when labelling the next lot of this very bold wine, guaranteed to put hair on your chest and sundry other parts of the masculine torso.

Should you decide to acknowledge this gesture, I would be pleased to introduce Ned Kelly to other old codgers of my acquaintance who, being somewhat past their last stand, would surely welcome some other diversion!

Sincerely,


Derek Barlow

PS please note that Turpin himself was, before he became a highwayman, a member of the Gregory aka the Essex Gang, and that those other members who were not hanged were transported to America.

PPS it also crossed my mind that commercially there might be something to be gained from completely rebranding your Ned Kelly red as “That Infamous Rouge”?


To which Bob replied:

8th July, 2011

Good morning Derek,

Firstly thank you for taking the time to write and yes this has since been corrected. I would like to say that I intentionally misspelt this to be cheeky, but in truth, I must have been having a senior moment.

The fact that we continue to admire the romanticism that surrounds the likes of Ned, speaks volumes for our tepid existence. These men were ruthless killers and not often given to the sharing and caring philosophy that we have adopted today. I’m sure they also had their moments of compassion and love, but they didn’t seem to display this when things didn’t go their way. I think today their school report would probably state “doesn’t play well with others”. But they lived their short lives to the full and bowed to no man so I guess that is very attractive when we are confronted by ever-increasing governance.

I’m not so sure that Turpin’s ideal to “rob from the rich to give to the poor” was any more than a clever marketing strategy to allow Ned to get away with blue murder and still have people afford him shelter. Whatever the rationale it worked for him and, in reality, it worked for us as well since we remember him with some fondness.

Thank you also for the comments about the wine, hirsute perhaps not, but definitely bold and masculine and I love the thought of it as “the infamous rouge”. I just need to get Tony Laithwaite to see the lighter side of this and agree.

Again thank you for your letter and if you ever attend the Sunday times Wine Club Vintage Festival in April each year, then please find me and make yourself known as it would be a pleasure to meet you.

Best regards


Bob Berton

Director of Marketing, Viticulture, Winemaking - and creative misspelling

Watch this space for a new wine, perhaps?