Approval of  labels for wines produced in or imported into the US falls under the the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB).  You would be excused for thinking that this function is the responsibility of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF) but no, its the folks at TTB that decide what is acceptable on wine labels.  States can also get into the fray if they feel the artwork on a label violates the sensibilities of their residents.

Banned in ‘Bama–In 2009 Alabama did just that with Cycles Gladiator’s stylized label of a nude woman and –you guessed it–a bicycle.  As often is the case the publicity served to increase national sales far in excess of the 500 cases that the winery sold in the state annually.

Risqué Rothschild–Chateau Mouton Rothschild, the Bordeaux first growth that has featured works by artists from around the world on its labels since 1945, got sideways with US regulators in 1993 when it featured a reclining nude by Balthus.  Rather than fight the US bureaucracy Baroness Philippine de Rothschild, owner of Mouton, simply removed the offending figure from the label for wines destined for the US market. As you can see it was a really boring label.

So here comes the 2010 Mouton label which could set up another confrontation with our regulators.  Painted by American artist Jeff Koons, the new label features an interpretation of the birth of Venus.  Critics rave over the quality of the ’10 Mouton, and it would be a shame to dumb-down the label just to satisfy priggish bureaucrats.

2010 Mouton Rothschild Label

What do you think?  Should wine labels avoid controversy?  Do you think these labels cross the line?  Let us know!