Cheeky Wines Have Their Place

Bully Hill Vineyards of Hammondsport in upstate New York has always held a special place in my heart. The wines of the late Walter S. Taylor were the first I ever knew and appreciated. My fellow “connoisseurs” and I enjoyed the menagerie of eclectic wines, but we also took pleasure in the quirky labeling that reflected the eccentric owner-artist Taylor.

“Wine Without Guilt.” “Wine With Love.” “Wine With Integrity.” These were among the many messages printed on Bully Hill corks. My comrades and I would collect them. I still possess several of these 20-year-old corks, mementos of many good times.

All these wonderful memories came flooding back as I came across Wingnut Zinfandel from Amador, Calif. The label, which resembles a cross between a Jackson Pollock painting and a Rochard test, was designed by Dave Whitling, a student at the Portfolio Center in Atlanta. In addition, Whitling’s colleague at the design school, Rachel Strubinger, had the idea of putting unusual quotations on the cork, such as Winston Churchill’s quip: “Eating words has never given me indigestion.”

Is the wine any good? Honestly, it’s not bad. And for only $13, you could do worse. But, I really like the spirit this wine puts forth. It’s fun and cheeky without being childish, reminiscent of Bully Hill. If Taylor taught me one thing about wine it is this: There’s more to wine than just wine. Much of our enjoyment of wine comes from our relationship who makes it and their outlook on the world—something we forget in this wine-rating obsessed time we live in.

2005 Wingnut Zinfandel, Amador County, Calif.

• $13

• Two Thumbs Up

• Aromas of black cherry and holly bush with stark tastes black cherries, plums, stewed dark berries, mincemeat pie and cocoa.