Judging a Book By It's Cover or a Wine By It's Label

I will be the first to admit that I do in fact judge a book by it's cover. Of course there are other criteria my brain uses to choose my next read, such as the genre, author, reviews, and, well... shelf placement (I am not a huge fan of kneeling), but in the end, the determining factor usually boils down to the cover, and my emotional response to it which either compels me put it down or put it under my arm for a trip to the register.

I feel the same about wine. Oh, yes, I occasionally consider the myriad of recommendations, ratings and reviews, and possibly take into account the meal with which the wine will be served, but there is also a strong, dare I say, primitive desire to choose the wine with the coolest label (there, I said it)

Cover and label designers everywhere are nodding knowingly.

The next time you pick up a few bottles, consider your selections. How much of a factor was the label?

Wineries, how do you come up with your labels? Do you design them yourself?, or do you use a team of marketing specialists and multiple consumer focus groups to determine your label for folks like me?