Portman Group Upholds Wine Complaint

The Portman Group, the U.K. alcohol industry’s self-regulatory authority, has upheld a complaint against Trinchero Family Estates for its Ménage à Trois Midnight wine. Zenith Global brought a complaint arguing that the wine’s name and marketing copy may breach the code by creating links between the product and sexual activity or sexual success. The panel agreed, finding that the text on the label—including “savour the pleasures of the dark”—did not dispel the sexual connotations of the Ménage à Trois name, which purportedly refers to the wine’s blend of three varietals. “In this case, the Panel urged the producer to avoid linking the sexual meaning of the name to the product and remove the text description on the bottle which did this,” the panel’s chair commented in a press release. “The Panel’s decision is a reminder to all producers that care must be taken when marketing a product to ensure that it does not draw direct links between the product and sexual activity.”