If you’re a wine drinker (and shopper), you have noticed a very high usage of our faunal friends on wine labels. Do you care to guess which animal name is the most widely used in naming wines? I did a little research, and I came up with some impressive lists – and some really funky names. I present to you “Wine With An Animal In The Name”. Sit back, relax, and pour yourself a glass of wine… perhaps one with an animal in the name ; )
• Wine with LIZARD in the name [3]:
Lazy Lizard
Leaping Lizard
Pink Lizard
• Wine with CAT in the name [5]:
Cat Field
The Cat’s Pajamas / Which Creek
Gato Negro
Black Cat
Fat Cat
• Wine with DEER & MOOSE in the name [5]:
Reindeer Ranch
Deer Springs
Deer Run
Red Deer
3 Blind Moose
• Wine with OWL in the name [6]:
Burrowing Owl
Owl‘s Eye Vineyard & Winery
Winking Owl
Owl Ridge
Thirsty Owl
Barn Owl Red – Mesa Park Vineyards (not pictured)
• Wine with PIG & COCHON in the name [8]:
The Flying Pig
Noble Pig
Wild Pig
Bourgeois Pig
Cochon Wine
Squealing Pig
Piggy Bank
Pig Skin
• Wine with BUTTERFLY & PAPILLON in the name (this is an insect but I couldn’t resist the temptation) [8]:
Orin Swift Papillon
Papillon
Butterfly Creek
Effet Papillon
Butterfly Blush – Rocky River Vineyards
Butterfly Riesling – Zilliken
Monarch Grove
Inkwell
• Wine with GOOSE in the name [8]:
The Goose
Goose Ridge
Goose Bay
Dusky Goose
Wild Goose
Wild Geese
Goose Watch
The Infamous Goose
• Wine with GOAT in the name [7]:
Bully Hill Love My Goat
Flying Goat
Goat Roti
Happy Goat
Casa Nuestra – Two Goats Red
The Drunken Goat
Donkey And Goat
Goats Do Roam
• Wine with BULL & TORO in the name [9]:
Dancing Bull
Calcu
Zimri Cellars
Bull‘s Blood
Bullamakanka
Turnbull
Bull Run
Bull Paddock
Sangre Del Toro
• Wine with WOLF in the name [9]:
The Wolftrap
Kenwood
Wolf Creek
Grey Wolf
Lone Wolf
Twin Oaks Wolf Creek
Wolf Blass
Painted Wolf
Villa Wolf
• Wine with DOG in the name [10]:
Hound Dog
Hell Hound Red (Jean Farris)
Stray Dog
The Black Dog
Dog House
Red Rover
Winston Cellars
Hoopla
Unleashed
Bulldog
• Wine with FROG & TOAD in the Name [14]:
The Faux Frog
Frog‘s Piss
Arrogant Frog
Frog‘s Leap
True Frog
Barking Frog
Leopard Frog
Talking Frog
Toad Hollow
Splattered Toad
Frog Hill
Frog’s Tooth
Purple Toad
Leopard Frog Vineyards – Stellenbosch, South Africa (not pictured)
• Wine with DUCK & CANARD in the name [14]:
Duck Pond
Duckhorn
Canard
Long Duck
Duck Shack
Gallo Cold Duck
Paraduxx
Lucky Duck – Germany
Mountain Duck
Duck Commander – Wood Duck
Decoy
Grey Duck
Duck Walk
Lucky Duck – Walmart
• Wine with HORSE, STALLION & PONY in the name [16]:
Wild Horse
Iron Horse
Silver Horse
Red Horse
Water Horse
Dark Horse
Belgian Horse
Dead Horse
Flagstone Dark Horse
White Stallion
Black Stallion
Box Stallion
The Stallion (not pictured)
Wild Stallion
Silver Pony
Red Pony Ranch (not pictured)
• Wine with FOX in the name [17]:
Three Fox
The Dancing Fox
Wild Fox Wines Organic
Flying Fox
Fox Creek
Fox Ridge
Fox Meadow Vineyards / Le Renard Gris
Fox Brook
Grey Fox
Gray Fox
Black Fox
Silver Fox
Red Fox
Fox Run
Fox Farm
Fox Hollow
Blair Fox
• Wine with EAGLE & HAWK in the name [22]:
Eagles Trace
Eagle‘s Nest
Eagle‘s Rock
Screaming Eagle
Eagle Fork
Eagle Harbor
Eagle Vale
Eagle Haven
RayLen – Eagle’s Select
Eagle Springs – Blushing Eagle
Eagle Hawk
Hawk Watch
Sparrow Hawk
Sun Hawk
Cooper’s Hawk
Winter Hawk
Hawk Crest
Hawk Haven
Maggy Hawk
Hawk’s Shadow
Spirit Hawk
Yellow Hawk
So, what does all of this mean? Well, it means that the eagle is far more respected than the lizard. But also, wine labels are getting more contemporary and more fun. Winemakers are now aware that animals are a big part of our lives. We love them and respect them. If you’re not sure, simply go to youtube and search “animal videos”. You’ll only find about 14,200,000 results. This kind of design is a good way to reach the consumer and appeal to his/her emotional side. Then, it also means that winemakers are ready to simplify their message. Wine doesn’t have to be pretentious to be delicious. Using this philosophy, winemakers from around the world are making wine labels a lot more approachable.
So there you have it, animals have a big role in that wacky world of wine. By the way, do you know where most of these animals live? In “creeks”, “ridges” and “canyons”. I’m just saying.
Love the wine you’re with.
While you’re here, check out this related article about wine bottle colelctor Karl Gunter. Our Friend Karl started a wine bottle collection that’ll have you barking for more. I won’t rabbit on for too long. You should check it out for yourself. His collection will give you something to crow about ;)
OK… I’m done horsing around.
A sequel to this article was just released. This time, I am featuring the various colors used in naming wines. Check it out!
For more fun and excitement, consider these related Wine Ponder articles:
• Creative and Unusual Wine Labels
• Funny and Unusual Wine Names
• Understanding a Wine Label
• Fun Wine Labels
• Wine Label Clichés
• Message On A Bottle
Nice list. I recently had some wine from South Africa called Leopard Frog.
Thanks Jean! I just added that one to the list ; )
Redhawk, Willamette Valley
Thanks for the addition, Edward. Always appreciate our readers feedback ; )
Une “chouette” recherche pour une très bonne idée d’article! J’adore.
Big bisoux
Hi! Hi! Merci Val ; )
Can you tell me if there was ever a wine, circa 1985, called Grey Goose? I am not too knowledgeable on wines, but this was a wine that I did enjoy. It was a chardonnay. I was talking with a friend about wines and this one came to mind, but I could not remember the exact name. I just know it had the word goose in it. Possibly a Kendall-Jackson product. Any help you give would be appreciated.
Hi Jeff, I don’t think the wine you’re referring to was called Grey Goose. Though this could have been a smart marketing move, the vodka giant using the same name would probably have something to say about it ; ) However, in addition to the ones I have listed in the article, there are two more wine names that popped in my mind: Silly Goose and Black Goose. Hard to tell if they were in business back in 1985, but they both make a Chardonnay. I hope this helps. Cheers!
I much enjoyed your “Wine With An Animal In The Name”. About a month ago I started ONLY buying wine with pictures of animals (including insects) on the label because I was sick of staring at 1000 bottles of wine while just trying to pick out a couple for that evening. As a consequence of my new selection method, Google brought me to this story.
GOOD FOR YOU!
I’m glad I was able to make a difference in your wine selection process, Karl. Keep on reading ; )
I am trying to find wines and liquors with chickens or roosters in the name. Can you help?
Hi Kathleen! There’s one that comes to mind but I’m sure you already found it, assuming you’ve made a search on Google. It’s called Rex Goliath. There’s also a French wine called La Vieille Ferme, a Canadian wine called Red Rooster, and another one called La Granja, which features all kinds of animals including a chicken on the label. The only thing I could recommend is for you to go on a site called Wine Searcher. They have every single wine ever produced and commercialized in the world. Good luck and thanks for being a fan ; )