(Oops) wine label

(oops) – the name—and the label—says it all

(Updated, Oct 1, 2014)

Oops! Fun stuff: (oops) is what’s on the label; and the wine is worth a quick plug. But is this a classic case of a name just too clever for itself? A couple of weeks ago I picked (oops) –  a wallet friendly Chilean Carmenere – for my North Shore News Column. Only trouble is, by the time the column had progressed through editing to layout to the page, this cute moniker got lost in the shuffle. I won’t bore you with the details but obviously my editor figured that “(oops)” – yes, in brackets – was my own interjection—and surely wasn’t the name of a wine!

I could wax on (of course) about the (inherent) pitfalls surrounding (excessive) use of brackets, especially in the wrong context (such as around a proper name). And then there’s the (separate) issue of (misleading) lower case names. But I wouldn’t dare. (Much.)

Belly’s Budget Best

(oops) Carmenere-Merlot 2013

Carmenere with a splash of Merlot—just to mix it up a little...

Carmenere with a splash of Merlot—just to mix it up a little…

Okay, I’ll admit it, I’m a sucker for clever packaging, as long as what’s inside measures up, and in this case it does. (oops) sports a clever (not so little) label that documents in detail the improbable but true story of how most of what used to pass for Merlot in Chile was actually Carmenère. (oops) indeed!

(oops) v. 2013 has a healthy dollop of Merlot (30 percent), which brings a more rounded, fuller mouthfeel, with black fruit, vanilla notes and good length. It all adds up to a decent, wallet friendly drop.   Good value at BCLS $14.99 89 pts. Think barbecued red meat or pasta with tomato based sauces.

(Oh, and if those brackets remind you of something, yes, there is a vague

[Yellow Tail] connection …)