Wines are named in a number of different ways such as regional, where the wine is named after the area it was produced (Fuisse, Pouilly, Champagne etc), varietal, where the wine is named after the grape variety it is produced from (Burgundy, Chablis, Pinot Noir etc) and also proprietary, which is where the wine is named purely for marketing reasons and this gives us famous brand names such as Blue Nun, Mateus and Opus 1.
It is this last way of naming wines that also gives us some of the strangest names in the business, as in an effort to stand out from the crowd many wineries are taking to naming their wines by some very wacky names such as:
Fat Bastard (Vin du pay D’Oc ) – this chardonnay from the South of France shocked a lot of people in the wine business when it first came out with its rather cheeky name, but absolutely flew off the shelves to become one of the best selling of all the French wines available in the USA.
Scraping the Barrel – this Spanish Tempranillo wine took a risk with the rather negative sounding name, but it is in fact a very tasty table wine that has some very sensible advice for drinkers in the UK – it goes well with chips and gravy!
Bloody Good White (Ca’ del Solo) – another risky name that sits very close to the line of what is expectable in polite society, this while is nevertheless a popular choice and is apparently named after the notes scrawled by in the owners tasting notes, describing is as ‘bloody good’.
The Unpronounceable Grape – this Hungarian wine has an amusing title, and yes, the grape really is a bit unpronounceable, ‘Gewurtztraminer’. A spicy fresh little number that is great value for money.
To find even more amusing and strange wine names you can take a look at Yapp Wine Merchants, which is a company specialising in searching out the most distinctive and delicious wines the world has to offer, and as well as selling these wines in their shop and online store, Yapp Brothers also provides cellaring and general buying advice to their customers and hosts a wide range of tastings & dinners across the country. 
