I buy wine by the label. Kind of. Think of the consideration taken when purchasing a coffee table book.

Because we know that the book will be viewed most often from the outside in, we consider, second to it's content, it's outward contribution to our physical, interior space. And so in my eyes, wine and books fit into 4 categories; bad content with a bad cover, bad content with a good cover, good content with a bad cover, and of course the winner, good content matched with a good cover.

Of course, I won't buy shit wine (or a shit book, for that matter) based solely on a good label/cover. Given the thousands of choices we have in our modern-day world, though, why not choose the bottle that supports the companies employing smart designers to market smart grapes? Granted, these bottles were empty before the sun set on Saturday...but they were pretty to look at before they went down. Thanks for the help Stacey, Tessa and Josh. Good to know I can count on my friends in times of need.

I picked up all of these bottles, including my day's favorite with the skull label, at the downtown wine store. The folks over there are super helpful and more than willing to answer questions. Plus, while you shop, you can even chill your bottles of white in 7 minutes...so you can get to the party with a cold bottle. Happy drinking.

Utah Wine Store: 255 South 300 East. Salt Lake City, 801.533.6444