A woman with long hair is kneeling and staring into a dark space. What is she doing? This picture is a label for Italian wine imported to the United States. Originally, imports were banned because the label was too sensational, but imports into the United States were allowed again only after the label image was modified to look like it is now. This is the story of wine that was officially imported into Korea with its original label.
The name of this wine is Soffocone . It is an Italian word meaning suffocation . In everyday conversation, it is used to mean ‘a braggart’. Why did the word ‘suffocation’ come to mean ‘braggart’? Please look for hints in this picture.
This week, Kim Ki-jeong’s Wine Club will talk about wine that contains ‘art’. From now on, ’19+’ images and content may be included, so if you do not wish to do so, please stop reading here.
◇Bibi Graz, an artist who became a wine producer
This is the design of Sophokone wine imported to Korea. Unlike the US version label image, there is something drawn on the top left and right. But it’s still unclear what it looks like.
In June 2020, the American business magazine Forbes highlighted wine producer and ‘artist’ Bibi Gratz. He inherits a medieval castle located in Vincigliata , Tuscany, Italy . There were vineyards surrounding the castle, and Bibi Graz began producing its own wine in 2000. Bibi Gratz was the son of a famous sculptor and studied art himself. He is famous for designing his own wine labels. The label of the ‘Sopocone’ wine, which has become a problem in the United States, is also said to have been created by Bibi Graz when he was a student.
◇A vineyard where ‘suffocation’ occurs…and ‘bluffing’This wine became a problem in the United States as Bibi Gratz explained to the public the reason behind naming the wine ‘Sopocone’.
It is said that the vineyard owned by Bibi Graz in Vinciliata was a great place for love for local young men and women. I think a literal translation of the wine’s name would be ‘Suffocation in the Vinciliata Vineyards.’ However, the word Sophocone (asphyxiation) is said to be a slang word in that region, meaning oral sex or fellatio . Bibi Gratz has artistically translated the ‘suffocating’ situation in her own vineyards into her wine label. In Europe, there is a saying that “women dominate men with their mouths.”
In fact, in Italy, the word Sophocone is used to mean ‘a braggart’, so it seems that various interpretations are possible.
◇American consumers were stricter than expectedAmerican consumers who had overlooked it are now taking a closer look at wine labels after hearing BB Graz’s story.
oh my god! A male genitalia is depicted in her upper left corner and a woman is shown kneeling on her knees, evoking the image of her performing oral sex. Shocked, the U.S. government bans the import of Sophocone wine. Bibi Gratz may have been an artist, but she was also a wine businesswoman, exporting wine to the United States with her top genitals all blacked out.
Readers who have experienced how sensational American alcohol advertising can be may not understand the U.S. government’s actions. However, in the United States, wine labels are prohibited from using any kind of sexual activity or images reminiscent of it. The United States may seem like a country with a lot of freedom regarding sex, but the strict Puritan spirit permeates every aspect of life.
◇In Italy, male and female genitalia are named for food.
What was the reaction to ‘Sopocone’ in Italy? It is said that Americans click their tongues about not being able to enjoy ‘humor in everyday life.’ In Italy, wine is food, life, and life. In fact, many Italian food names directly express the male and female genitals.
Among Italian pastas, gnocchi is a lump dough made with potatoes, flour, eggs, and salt, similar to Korean sujebi. The accepted theory is that the name gnocchi comes from the knot of a tree and the knuckle of a fist , but there are also claims that it refers to the female genitals. This is because of the look and feel of the gnocchi.
In the Tuscany region where Bibi Graz produces wine, a ‘salami’ food called Palle del Nonno is famous. The literal translation is ‘grandfather’s testicles.’ It is named so because it resembles the saggy testicles of an old man.
In Sicily, there is a dessert called ‘virgin nipples’. It is shaped like a red cherry on top of a bread that resembles a woman’s white breast, and also appears in the movie ‘Amadeus’. But once you know the original story, this food is far from sexual. This food, also called ‘Agatha bread’, is actually a tribute to Saint Agatha of Sicily. The red cherry on top of the breast-shaped bread symbolizes the ‘blood’ caused by torture.
◇In the land of Kamasutra, it is decided to put on ‘clothes’.
The Sophokone wine label has also become a problem in India. It is said that in India, the country of the ‘ Kama Sutra ‘, which contains various positions of ‘love’, images reminiscent of sexual things themselves are not a problem. Instead, the naked body of a woman without clothes became an issue. In India, there is a rule that says nude images cannot be used in food and beverages.
Bibi Gratz picked up her pen when she heard the news. She then colors the labels of each bottle herself. She clothed the female body. Recently, Vincenzo D’Andrea, director of sales and marketing at BB Graz Wine, visited Korea and talked about Sophokone wine, which became a hot topic.
He picked up a black pen and colored the wine label just like Bibi Graz had done in the past.
In India, BB Graz’s ‘Sopokone’ wine is said to have become popular as a limited edition.
One wine critic said, “There are many wine lovers who collect personal autographs from wine producers. He also commented, “It’s as if Bibi Graz’s Sophocone wine already has his signature on it.”
◇The ‘label’ is nothing more than a help, but it received favorable reviews from wine critics.If BB Graz wine had competed only on the label, it wouldn’t have meant much. The BB Graz Colore 2013 vintage was selected as the best Italian wine, receiving 99 points from wine critic James Suckling. The 2006 Testamata vintage also received 98 points, quickly catapulting Bibi Graz to the ranks of Italy’s top wine producers.
Of course, Bibi Graz’s ‘Sokopone’ story would have been a great help in wine sales.
When talking about the ‘art’ contained in wine, the wine that cannot be left out is Chateau Mouton Rothschild. This first-class Grand Cru wine from Bordeaux, France, uses the artwork of a representative artist of that era as its label every year. Among them, Picasso’s story is interesting. Baron Philippe de Rothschild, owner of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, asked Picasso to draw a wine label, but he could not get his consent. Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine was a second-rate wine at the time.
Finally, in 1973, Chateau Mouton Rothschild was promoted to first-class wine. This was the first wine rating for Bordeaux, France, since it was created in 1855, and since Chaton Mouton Rothschild, there has been no case of a wine being upgraded to first class. However, Picasso passed away in 1973. Baron Rothschild asked Picasso’s surviving family for permission, and Picasso’s work appeared on the label for the monumental 1973 vintage (the year the grapes were produced).
◇Chateau Mouton Rothschild was also censored
It may be unreasonable to simply compare Chateau Mouton Rothschild’s world-class artwork label with Bibi온라인카지노 Graz’s Sophocone wine. However, Chateau Mouton Rothschild wine has also been refused import from the United States due to its label.
The 1993 vintage of Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which contains works by French painter Balthus, is a wine that has been banned from import. Balthus is famous for his works of adolescent girls in erotic poses. In the end, the 1993 Chateau Mouton Rothschild, which was labeled Balthus’ Nude Croquis, was banned from sale in the United States. Chateau Mouton Rothschild released a product in the American market without a picture on the label, which became a hot topic and a major collection item for wine lovers.
It doesn’t end here. For the 2010 vintage, Chateau Mouton Rothschild released a label that reinterpreted Bottichalli’s ‘Birth of Venus’ by famous American artist Jeff Kuhn. Although there was controversy because of the nude Venus, it was allowed to be sold in the U.S. market.
Next week, we will introduce a collection of cases of using Korean artists’ works on wine labels.