Would You Like an Animal with Your Wine, Sir?

Do you like animals with your wine? Apparently many of us do.

A recent study showed that wines that had animals on their labels increased their sales much more than wines without animals on their labels. One of the most popular wines in the U.S. is the Aussie import, Yellow Tail, with a wallaby on the label. (Yes, I know, it looks like a kangaroo, and that's what many people call it. But the corporate folks at Yellow Tail corporate headquarters have informed the press that it is indeed a wallaby. Use that as a trivia question at your next cocktail party!)

In my local wine store yesterday I saw a bunch of others, including 'Smoking Loon' (no, he didn't have a cigarette handing out of his bill), Laughing Bull, and a bunch of others. Not only were the names kind of cutesy, but the labels had very distinctive and colorful designs. I guess with one cabernet looking pretty much like another when it's in the glass, marketers are trying to attract people's attention with a cute looking label. No word on if any of the animals featured on the product actually drink that product, so I don't think we'll be seeing any celebrity endorsements from the critters themselves anytime soon.

Are you attracted to wines with animals on the label or in the name? What's the strangest animal wine name you've heard of?