We thought this approval (for Smirnoff Frozen Vodka & Lemonade) was noteworthy because it points out several things. First of all, it tends to show that it’s okay to add a little bit of extra verbiage, to the mandated statement of composition, on a distilled spirits specialty. The required statement is probably VODKA WITH NATURAL FLAVORS AND FD&C YELLOW #5. The one on this label adds a few extra words such as MADE WITH SMIRNOFF. It adds a few other descriptors nearby, at VODKA & LEMONADE. Second, it tends to show it’s okay to put the color details on the back, if the general statement is on the front. CERTIFIED COLOR (general) is on the front and CONTAINS FD&C YELLOW #5 is on the back only. Third, this shows it can take a lot of work and a mighty long time for a big company to bring a product to market. This approval is already about eight months old, and there is no sign of  this product on the web or at the indicated domain. Fourth, it’s probably an unusual, pouch-type package and freeze technology, based on the approval, but we’ll need to wait a bit longer to see it. Finally, as with many other Smirnoff-branded products, the references to VODKA are very large, even though...

This post will start short but is likely to grow long over time. Very long. We will try to show the enormous range of foodstuffs from which wine is produced. With each post we will add to the list, and I predict it will grow way past 50 60. Today we add Blueberry wine to the list.

1. Avocado wine
2. Banana wine
3. Blueberry wine. Made by Coltsfoot Winery of Abingdon, Virginia.
4. Buffaloberry wine
5. Cantaloupe wine
6. Dandelion wine
7. Elder flower wine
8. Fig wine
9. Gooseberry wine
10. Grape wine
11. Jasmine fruit wine
12. Kiwi wine
13. Linden flower wine
14. Lingonberry
15. Lychee wine
16. Mango wine
17. Mangosteen wine
18. Marionberry wine
19. Onion wine
20. Peach wine
21. Pomegranate wine
22. Pear wine
23. Pepper wine
24. Persimmon wine
25. Pineapple wine
26. Rhubarb wine
27. Strawberry wine
28. Tomato wine
29. Watermelon wine

Sometimes, just one letter can make a big difference. As with TEQUIZA versus TEQUILA. One is beer and the other is quite different. TTB/ATF first allowed this brand name in 1997, for a malt beverage with natural flavors. A 1999 approval is shown above on the left, and the most recent approval is on the right above. Just a few months after the the 2008 approval, Anheuser-Busch apparently killed Tequiza in favor of Bud Light Lime. At this point, it’s gone almost without a trace, like Champale, Zima and other fading memories. A lot of the branding stayed the same over the course of twelve years and 29 label approvals. But the legal description got trimmed considerably, during that time, to remove all references to the “NATURAL FLAVOR OF MEXICAN TEQUILA.” This part apparently went too far for the Tequila industry, or TTB, to accept, even if the brand name and agave references did not. By way of another example, from the movies, Little Fockers probably would not be PG-13 if spelled with a u.

This post will start short but is likely to grow long over time. Very long. We will try to show the enormous range of foodstuffs from which wine is produced. With each post we will add to the list, and I predict it will grow way past 50 60. Today we add Buffaloberry wine to the list.

1. Avocado wine
2. Banana wine
3. Buffaloberry wine. Made by Strawbale Winery of Renner, South Dakota.
4. Cantaloupe wine
5. Dandelion wine
6. Elder flower wine
7. Fig wine
8. Gooseberry wine
9. Grape wine
10. Jasmine fruit wine
11. Kiwi wine
12. Linden flower wine
13. Lingonberry
14. Lychee wine
15. Mango wine
16. Mangosteen wine
17. Marionberry wine
18. Onion wine
19. Peach wine
20. Pomegranate wine
21. Pear wine
22. Pepper wine
23. Persimmon wine
24. Pineapple wine
25. Rhubarb wine
26. Strawberry wine
27. Tomato wine
28. Watermelon wine