… brought to you by your flirtatious friends at Vinesse
Almost by definition, a wine bottle bearing a picture of a nude nymph had to make our list of the 10 sexiest wines. Who are we to argue with the language police? The carnal countdown continues…
The Top 10 Sexy Wines of All-Time
No. 6 — Cycles Gladiator
Can a wine that retails for around $13 per bottle find happiness… let alone fulfillment… in today’s vinous marketplace?
It can if the wine carries the Cycles Gladiator label.
Except in Alabama.
Allow us to explain…
Cycles Gladiator is a line of wines — including Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinot Grigio — bearing “California” or “Central Coast” appellations. The 2005 Cabernet garnered a rating of 89 on a 100-point scale from Wine Enthusiast magazine.
The label is based on a poster created in 1895 by French painter G. Massias advertising the then-new Cycles Gladiator bicycle.
The poster includes a depiction of a nude nymph flying alongside a winged bicycle.
All pretty whimsical, if you ask us.
But not to the Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which found the label to be just a bit too sexy for the good people of the Yellowhammer State.
The Board made that ruling last year, but it gained national attention in late July of this year when the Board received a bottle of Cycles Gladiator from a citizen claiming to have bought the wine in a store.
That prompted the Board to send out a letter to stores and restaurants as a friendly reminder that sale of the product was not legal in the state.
And what, exactly, did the Board find objectionable about the Cycles Gladiator label?
The ban was enacted as enforcement of the Alabama liquor regulations that prohibit labels with “a person posed in an immoral or sensuous manner.”
We’re not sure when riding a bicycle or drinking wine became immoral. Furthermore, technically, the label does not depict a person, but rather a DRAWING of a person.
A sexy drawing, yes… but a drawing nonetheless.
Then again, any kind of nude nymph is bound to attract attention…
– – – – –
The Top 10 Sexy Wines of All-Time
The List So Far…
10. Moet & Chandon Champagne
9. Any Port in a Storm
8. Mouton-Rothschild
7. Martin & Weyrich Moscato Allegro
6. Cycles Gladiator
Tomorrow: No. 5
