Paris’ Prosecco

Posted on July 14th, 2008 by Tayloe

Late Night TV — It was 12:15pm EST last Friday, July 11, and David Letterman’s Late Show had just gone to a commercial. You might wonder the relevance especially related to Grapethinking? But I feel I must tell you about the absurdly ridiculous guest I saw pitching a product that deserves to be shunned and whose creator/promoter deserves to be sent to one of the deeper rings in Dante’s Inferno. Her name is known throughout the Internet and entertainment circles like any STD in a free walk-in clinic, haven’t guessed yet? Its Paris Hilton, a woman who I attribute the downfall of what is left of American Culture and in this instance it is no different, it is probably even more apparent. Ms. Hilton in all of her infinite wisdom has thought it would be a good idea to market the brand RICH Prosecco (an Italian grape used to make sparkling wine) in a can because it’s sexy. Don’t get me wrong I get the whole new age sexy marketing idea, it’s a damn good one, but putting sparkling wine in a can is like drinking Don Perignon out of a Dixie Cup… not to mention the hangover that will surely follow. I can’t imagine what the Italians think of this blatant slap in the face; some poor smuck (pardon my Yiddish) who has never made it in the world of wine probably got offered a lot of money to sell out. Of course the next product she presented was on the go hair extensions called clipin go. David was sarcastically heckling her the whole time… gotta love him.

What do you think about this change in wine marketing? Does a can make wine more sexy and appealing in a club atmosphere?

Beyond this diatribe of what I like to call the dumbification of wine, I changed the channel to Jay Leno and saw one of best performances on Late Night TV in a while. “In January 2007, an unlikely pair teamed up for two nights of concerts in New York City: Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis. Or maybe not so unlikely: Mr. Marsalis and Mr. Nelson came together to celebrate and play the blues, a musical tradition with ties to both jazz and country.” They played Bright Lights, Big City which was amazing not only because Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis are two of the most accomplished musicians of our time, but because it was done in a traditional jazz style where each player: guitar, trumpet, saxophone, harmonica, keys, and drums, all got to solo. Check the album out!

Tags: Culture, Paris, prosecco, rich, sexy

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Posted in Culture, Marketing | View Comments

  • Frank
    I hate to break this to you all, but it's not technically a sparkling wine, it has a list of ingredients that include sugar, carbon dioxide, carrot juice?? It's closer to wine mixed with 7-up than anything resembling a sparkling wine.
  • Meg, if I remember - when you were just over 20 - didn't you drink a little too much South African wine on New Year's eve at Kennedy's? Good thing SA's age is 18; and good thing South African wine is such great quality at such a good price... ;)
  • doesn't Caviar come in tins?
  • Meghan
    I applaud your history and break down of the champagne process... and yes there are those special bottles that you have for special occasions, but why is it that wine has to be a special occasion type drink? For me, I rarely drink beer and if I do it's not bud. Wine is an expensive habit and there needs to be something affordable out there. And let me note that most sparkling wine in a can is not cheap.
    The old school wine makers are probably cringing at that fact that sparkling wine is being produced in cans. On the other side of the spectrum, because it is more accessible people in their 20s are being given the chance to enter into the wine world in a non threatening stuck up matter. When I was 20 (not long ago), I didn't know what Prosecco was, I never even heard of it.
    Wine lovers get a bad rap for being snobs. This is helping its image. I'm not a Paris Hilton fan, but I'll try her Prosecco.
  • bring the philosophy of the Symposiums of ancient greece and the vibe of Hotlanta nightclubs and you'll have something
  • a) tasting parties b) figure out how to fit wine into the club atmosphere, while keeping your tradition.
  • what an invigorating train of thought Tpop...

    A can may be too much, but i dig the sexy vibe and paris is sexy. I'm a fan of whatever brings the power of wine to the masses... this is probably a little too far. A can of prosecco works tho cause its like a soda or anything else carbonated that comes in a can... putting regular wine in a can is obviously out of the question.
  • Meghan
    I have to be honest here.. I've had sparkling wine in a can before and it tastes delicious. Francis Ford Coppola makes am enjoyable one called Sophia. Should Paris Hilton have her own line of sparkling wine?... absolutely not, she shouldn't even be allowed near anything that can inhibit her already cloudy judgment. Don't knock the canned sparkling though. It makes it quite convenient to bring to, say, the movie theater or the beach. Not that I would know anything about this, but this is what I hear.
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