Alabama to Cycles Gladiator Wines: No more nude nymphs

July 31, 12:08 AMKansas City Wine ExaminerDennis Schaefer

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       Banned in Alabama: Cycles Gladiator "nude nymph" label

"Sweet home, Alabama," so the song goes. But not so sweet for Cycles Gladiator Wines produced by Hahn Family Wines of Soledad, Ca. The Alabama Alcoholic Beverage Control (ABC) Board has banned Cycles Gladiator wines from being sold in Alabama, based on the nude nymph depicted on their labels.

The Alabama ABC code states that "No advertisement may include any illustration(s) of any person(s) consuming alcoholic beverages or any person(s) posed in an immodest or sensuous manner."  In a letter to Alabama restaurants and retailers, the ABC stated that the sale of Cycles Gladiator wines are prohibited. An attorney for the ABC was quoted as saying the label was submitted twice last year for approval and it was rejected both times. However, an Alabama citizen sent the ABC a bottle, indicating it was still being sold in stores. Consequently, the ABC issued a cease and desist order. The label had already been approved quite some time ago by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATF), the arm of the Federal government charged with approval of wine labels on a national level.

The wine label is actually a reproduction of a French art poster by French painter G. Massias, dating back to 1895, that was used as an advertisement for Gladiator bicycles. Only four of these original posters exist today, reported valued at up to $50,000. Admittedly, as can be seen above, the illustration features a naked nymph, with side views of an exposed buttock and breast. Her red mane of hair blows in the wind, as the winged bicycle glides through the constellations of the night sky.

The Cycles Gladiator web site explains that this image "captures the grace and uninhibited beauty of our hillside vineyards." Bill Leigon, president of Hahn Family Wines, commenting this past Monday, said that he was surprised that Alabama would ban the wine. In a prepared statement, he said  "We've sold 600,000 cases of Cycles Gladiator wines in 50 states, as well as 20 countries around the world, including sales in the state of Alabama for 3 years, and not received one single consumer complaint."

Leigon said the winery would comply with the order and pull the wines from Alabama. But he added, "we are not going to change it (the label), we are going to withdraw from the state and it's a shame that the citizens of Alabama are going to lose the opportunity to enjoy our delicious wines." Since the news broke he said that traffic on the Cycles Gladiator web site has increased tenfold and people are calling the winery wanting to know where they can buy the wine. The winery is even thinking of capitalizing on the publicity by creating wine store displays that say "Banned in 'Bama."

The Cycles Gladiator label was honored with an American Graphic Design Award in 2006. It has been a long time supporter of cycling related events, including Lance Armstrong's LiveStrong, Tour of California and Tour de Georgia.

Back in May, I recommended the Cycles Gladiator bottlings as value wines for tough times. Read my more detailed notes on the specific Cycles Gladiator wines here. I'm just guessing that Alabama officials found these wines a bit more "full bodied" than they liked.