“Gosh! This is so interesting” That’s the headline on the back of The Fishwives Club Sauvignon Blanc label. The Toronto Star agrees. Their review headline? “A label with a woman on a fish? Hmmm” Description. “The label features a woman that looks like a 1950s pin-up girl — in a bustier, sheer blue skirt and coiffed hair — riding a fish four times her size. It’s a curious image — especially plastered on a wine label. But there it is.” Interesting indeed.
It isn’t just the woman riding a fish that’s “curious”. It’s the contrast in styles of the two elements. The woman could be a Varga girl. The fish looks like a rendering you might find in an encyclopedia — sharp, colourful, and detailed. It’s a bizarre combination.
Then there’s the brand name, The Fishwives Club. What’s a fishwife anyway? I had to look that up of course. A fishwife is the wife or daughter of a fisherman, charged with selling the daily catch before it spoils. They are loud, foul-mouthed, and obnoxious. Not exactly pin-up material. But irrespective of the historical reference, the term connects the two elements of the image (the image came first by the way. It’s quite a story.)
Club? Quite brilliant that. The word club suggests belonging. It’s exclusive for those who are fans of the brand. So who are they?
The target market of The Fishwives Club is women. Not all women of course. Generalizations are dangerous. This brand may not appeal to someone who sees the women on the brand’s labels as stale images of male fantasy from a bygone era. Other women — the ones who buy this wine — just think it’s fun. And sometimes, people like things exactly because they think they shouldn’t. It’s the appeal of irreverence. If The Fishwives Club label image doesn’t scream that, the copy certainly does. “Now stop wasting time reading this drivel. Crikey! It’s wine o’clock already.”
If you get hooked by this branding, you’ll be pleasantly rewarded for landing this catch. Especially if you’re unfamiliar with South African wines. This Sauvignon Blanc compares favourably with ones from New Zealand at much higher prices. “Brace yourself for shameless flattery of one’s senses.” Their words of course.
Would you buy this wine? Tell me why or why not in the comments below.
