Wine tasting and choosing the right wine can be perceived as serious business, even intimidating and pretentious for the average consumer. With the launch of its new AHINTOF range, Boland Cellar wants to make wine a less imposing and more relatable proposition.
AHINTOF is a collection of vivacious lifestyle wines based on Boland Cellar's popular Classic range. The cheeky labels turn conventional wine tasting wisdom on its head, by stating the most prominent flavour or trait of each wine as part of the name. The unoaked Chardonnay is for example dubbed AHINTOF Citrus, while the oaked version is named AHINTOF Vanilla. AHINTOF Melon tells wine lovers what taste to expect from the tropical Chenin Blanc, while AHINTOF Licorice offers a clue to the Pinotage's savoury-sweet nature.
Boland Cellar national sales manager Anneen du Toit says the quirky AHINTOF range was conceptualised as a fun, irreverent project to attract more followers to wine as an everyday drink:
"With the AHINTOF range, we want to take the guesswork and stress out of wine selection and enjoyment. The labels and tasting notes shun technical wine lingo and tell consumers exactly what flavours and style to expect when they pick the bottle from the shelf. This makes it simple for people to identify their favourites. Sometimes we all need a nudge or wink, as our tagline suggests. A HINT of something great to come."
The range is comprised of accessible varietal red and white wines, blends, and a rosé. The modern, fresh appearance of the packaging ties in with the inviting, fruit-driven character of the wines.
"We say there are enough pressures in life, some decisions should be straightforward," says Anneen. "Like choosing a wine that you know will suit your taste. Wine is often portrayed as prestigious and sophisticated, and obviously there is a place for that. But wine can also just be purely about relaxation and light-hearted enjoyment."
Certainly, many wine lovers will say cheers to that!