Yellow Tail Goes Fishing for a Name
Yellow Tail, the Australian-based wine brand owned by Cassella Wines, says they’ve got a new Chardonnay ready to roll in early 2010. All they need is a name for the new product; and they’re willing to offer a case of wine to the fan that can provide one by tomorrow, Dec. 9.
“We need a name [by then], or our suits will cut our holiday vacation time short,” says the brand’s Web site. Participants can also enter their name suggestions at yellow Tail’s Facebook page and can track the search on twitter.com/yellowtail_usa.
“As we were tossing around names in our offices, we started thinking that maybe our fans could do a better job of this than we can,” said Mark Lyle, marketing vice president for W.J. Deutsch, which imports yellow Tail and other brands into the U.S. “After all, we attribute so much of our success to the word-of-mouth buzz created by our passionate fan base that it makes sense to make them a part of the process.”
The contest, open to U.S. consumers 18 or older except those in California or Tennessee, launched on Nov. 30. Following the close of the submission period, a panel of judges selected by Yellow Tail will review all the proposed names. The winner will be chosen as the official name of the new varietal, to be brought to market in May 2010.
Because it’s tough to name what you don’t know, the Web site offers some pointers about the new wine’s taste and its position in the Yellow Tail portfolio. According to the site, it will be lighter and crisper than a traditional Chardonnay, without the traditional oak aging but with “hints of citrus, grapefruit and light lime (sounds good, right?)”
The new wine will integrate with four other white varietals from Yellow Tail: Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc and its existing Chardonnay, an oaked product that is Yellow Tail’s bestselling white.
