Gimmie That Wine
The Vision
|
|
|
 |
|
|
 |
It all started with a roll of the dice. From the start of our winery, Sort This Out Cellars, we envisioned making three different types of wines. Reserve wines, a Super Tuscan blend, and a series of fun wines for everyday drinking. But, what would that Reserve wine label be? Well, the answer to that question took us a while. Seriously, we were naming the winery based on a line that made us laugh in a Vince Vaughn and John Favreau movie called Made. As ridiculous as it sounds, it made sense to us. That's the great thing about this country, you can open a business and call it just about anything you want no matter how absurd. The Reserve wine program, otherwise known as Sort This Out Cellars wines, would eventually carry our flagship black label featuring the Sort This Out Cellars dice logo.
So, how did we finally arrive at our design? Michael and I have always loved Vegas. I remember turning 21 just around the time that Vegas started to change. There were still a few old hotels, some open and some waiting for demolition. I remember seeing the Landmark before it was knocked down. There was a transition occurring between classic Vegas, the city that never slept, to party Vegas, home to L.A. inspired dance clubs and restaurants named after celebrity chefs. We were lucky to have been one of the last generations to drive a car down Fremont Street, see the Dunes, and remember when the Tropicana was way down The Strip by itself. Michael and I often reflected back on our early memories of Vegas, remembering them with the same fondness that people usually associate with their earliest trip to Disneyland or the day they got their driver's license. As Michael was recalling the first time the Mirage gave him RF&B privileges, it hit me! Our design would pay tribute to the high roller in all of us. Whether it is in Vegas or in life we all remember a time of excitement when we rolled the dice not knowing where they would land hoping we would eventually just...'sort it out'. The final design featured classic Vegas elements using fonts inspired by 1950's Las Vegas. Following none of the rules, we decided rather than naming the wines after the grapes, we would give them names taken from our best Vegas memories.
Hardways, a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon, and Money Plays, a 2004 Merlot, were the first in our Reserve series of wines. Our goal is to release only the finest wines under the Sort This Out Cellars label. Reserve wines that are representative of the character and attitude for which they are named rather than the significance of what grapes they were made from. Our relationship with winemakers and winegrowers throughout California affords us access to a variety of great grapes and juice from which to craft our limited production Reserve wines.
These wines aren't reserved for just us guys who enjoy a little bit of the action. Michael and I have seen plenty of ladies run the dice, sippin' bourbon, and pressing their bets. So ladies, don't be afraid to show the guys a trick or two. Just uncork a bottle and tell'em Money Plays!
Jeff Munsey
|
|
|
|
