Marketing can be tricky. Just look at Super Bowl ads. Some like to shock, others play to our heart strings with dogs and horses, some seek attention by pushing the limit on what is offensive, while others capture us with stupidity. What about shopping for wine? Most wine labels are, dare I say, boring. Perhaps traditional or understated is a better descriptor. Some are very hard to decipher while others provide a wealth of information. Some use pictures of animals to catch the consumer’s attention. But when you are standing in the wine aisle of your favorite grocery store or even in your favorite wine store, how does the average consumer who is looking to try something new know which wine to select? Do you risk going with the eye catching provocative label? If You See Kay the risk is worth it!

Who is Kay? Kay is a CREATURE; she is an embodiment of a lifestyle, a genre, a feeling in your gut. Kay is a force of nature, a wanderer. She represents the philosophy of ‘wide open throttle or don’t bother doing it at all.’ She’s not trying to be, she just is. ALWAYS UNCONTROLLABLE, SHE’S WANTED.

What is Kay’s story? From No Holds Barred Wine:

THE EXPRESSION, “IF YOU SEE KAY” ORIGINATED WITH IRISH AUTHOR JAMES JOYCE’S 1922 MASTERPIECE ULYSSES, WRITTEN AS AN ADAPTATION OF HOMER’S ODYSSEY.

This iconic novel turned the concept of fiction on its head and after years of controversy, Ulysses has come to be considered one of the finest Modernist works of all time. The reference within the brand name serves as a reminder that visionaries rarely play by the rules.

The connection is that the opening stanza from the Homer’s Odyssey has been the central theme with Hundred Acre Wines since day one… everything comes full circle.

IF YOU SEE KAY is a culmination of outstanding winemaking and the image of a strong woman, Kay, who embodies the principles of living life to the fullest. The graphic image of Kay as a tattooed woman on a motorcycle perfectly captures the “wide open-throttle” approach to winemaking and was an apt representation of the new brand.

Ultimately, whether one explores the image, philosophy or the wine itself, if you see kay is about freedom—being true to one’s beliefs and dispensing with conventional thinking and boundaries. And, if necessary, kick-starting a little controversy along the way.

If You See Kay was created from the people that brought Hundred Acre, Cherry Pie and Layer Cake wines. With Kay, No Holds Barred Wine sought to create a wine outside the boundaries of traditional style, theme and packaging. If You See Kay is crafted from a blend of grapes, predominately Cabernet Sauvignon along with Petite Verdot, and Primitivo, in the Lazio region of Italy. (For geographical reference, Rome is also located in Lazio.) More importantly how does Kay taste?

If You See Kay 2011 Red Wine IGT Lazio: This wine poured a deep ruby with black hues into the glass; fruit forward aromas of black berries, black cherries, black raspberries, and plums are paired with spice notes, dark mocha, a touch of smoke, and vanilla all follow through on the palate in a lush, expressive mouth-feel, integrated tannins with balanced acidity result in a highly pleasing wine that was medium in body with a long, dry finish; give Kay some time to open up and she will reward you with a surprisingly easy to drink and enjoy wine. 13.5% alcohol; SRP $17-19. Kay is crafted with old world grapes in a very juicy, new world style, racy, with attitude that is fun and delicious. What surprised me the most out of Kay was how well balanced she was; I was expected either an overly sweet wine or a huge punch me in the mouth fruit bomb. Neither was the case. I tip my hat to you Kay. You can’t judge a book by its cover!

I think a wine like If You See Kay, with zinfandel type qualities, pairs perfect with a stay home Friday night date night of pizza and a movie; and that is exactly what we did. An edgy wine with a delicious Marghareta pizza with added grilled chicken and chopped up Italian meatballs, a fire and an edgy movie: Straight Outta Compton.

One last word from Kay: We don’t care about status quo, and we know that you don’tcare what varietal is on the label, you just want to open the bottle and think “this wine kicks ass”.  Period end of story. If You See Kay Wines

This wine is widely distributed and sold for under $20. Drink it and let me know what you think.

My Song Selection: I think this song is a PERFECT pairing for IF YOU SEE KAY! I love this song! Unique, edgy, rockin and fun!

Get your own bottle of IF YOU SEE KAY wine and let me know what song you pair with it. Cheers!