Okanagan winemaker puts a cork in punny bottles after Dom Perignon complaint
The self-described scoundrels of Okanagan wine country have pulled one of their most popular sparkling wines after a warning from one of the world’s most famous and prestigious producers, Dom Perignon.
The cheekily-named “Dom and Dommerer” bottles produced by Crown and Thieves winery are now recalled and boxed up in a warehouse because the label sports the same three-pointed shield silhouette as the distinctive French champagne.
“I was walking in the vineyard one day and in the snow I saw these cute little footprints and it had a really neat shape,” said winemaker Jason Parkes. “And the team’s favourite movie is ‘Dumb and Dumber.’”
But when he got a cease and desist letter from the lawyers for the legendary French producer, he knew the light-hearted joke with its duck-foot label had fizzled out.
“I didn't think we'd get away with it for six months, and it's been longer than that,” he said. “They're actually a very, very classy company, all kidding aside, and they’ve been very kind and I think they've seen some of the humour.”
A pricey joke
Parkes, who fronts a punk band in his downtime, eschews the many awards his wines have garnered and continues to grow his offerings with a cidery, a BBQ-themed restaurant, and multiple wine brands.
He’s glad he diversified considering that he wrote off this year’s grape harvest, having seen how small and questionable it would be after a cold snap that has decimated the entire industry. That means he’s under extra pressure to re-brand and re-label the Dom and Dommerer bottles and get them back on the market.
“We’ll just have to come up with something clever and maybe an homage to someone else in some fun way,” Parkes said. “It's valuable, we'll fix it, we'll make it work and be creative.”
An outlier in the industry
It’s typically the craft beer industry that gets in hot water over brewers’ puckish penchant for plays on words and puns that land them in court or pulling products from shelves.
Parkes is clearly a fan of tongue-in-cheek humour as well, with his popular, award-winning network of wineries sporting irreverent names including Pinky Blinders, Auxerrois that Endserrois, and The Greatest Love of Mal, often sporting whimsical watercolour paintings or artwork by his children on the labels.
While a large number of wineries are up for sale in the region given the challenges of repeated droughts, wildfires, and this year’s cold snap, Parkes is intent on sticking it out and hoping for better harvests in the years ahead.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise’s disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.
Canada Post cracks down on Nunavut loophole to get free Amazon Prime shipping
Amazon's paid subscription service provides free delivery for online shopping across Canada except for remote locations, the company said in an email. While customers in Iqaluit qualify for the offer, all other communities in Nunavut are excluded.
Mother's Day movies that pull at ALL the heartstrings
This Mother's Day Weekend, take a look at some of the most emotional movies inspired by moms.
Suspect sought after fatal slashing in downtown Toronto
Police are searching for a suspect in a homicide investigation after a man was slashed in downtown Toronto on Sunday.
Edibles, armchairs and adapters: Here are the recalls for this week
Health Canada announced various product recalls this week, including electric adapters, armchairs, cannabis edibles and vehicle components.
Putin replaces Russian defence minister in rare cabinet shakeup
Russia’s President Vladimir Putin began a Cabinet shakeup on Sunday, proposing the replacement of Sergei Shoigu as defence minister as he begins his fifth term in office.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.