Never judge a wine by its label?
“Never buy a wine with an animal on the label.” This old wisdom can avoid a lot of forgettable wines. But there’s a problem: It’s not always right.
Upgrade to Paid: I buy all the wines I review and don’t accept free samples. Your support makes that possible. Please upgrade to a paid subscription at our special holiday discount!
Sure, it can be a useful guide to avoiding mass-market wines like Toasted Head Chardonnay with its fire-breathing bear label, or the vast lake of Australia’s Yellow Tail Shiraz with its leaping kangaroo.
But I like to point out that following this counsel too literally might also deprive you of the joys of Chateau Cheval Blanc, a great and pricey Bordeaux named for a horse (“cheval”), or the memorable Piemontese wines of La Spinetta, adorned with a medieval rhinoceros. And, of course, Stag’s Leap, Wild Horse, and many more.
The lesson here is simple: In wine and in life, beware of dogmatic principles that sort the rules into “never” or “always.” Using our own judgement is always – er, usually – wise. And, as a couple of early responses to this week’s Substack Chat on this topic have already pointed out, add “cheap” wine to the rule and you’ll significantly improve your odds of avoiding a clunker.
The Andes mountains rise sharply above Mosquita Muerta’s vineyards in Argentina’s Luján de Cuyo region.
Which brings us around to today’s featured wine, Mosquita Muerta “Cordero con Piel de Lobo“ Malbec. This impressive red wine from Luján de Cuyo in Argentina’s Mendoza wine region isn’t bottom-shelf cheap, but it’s an excellent value at its $15 local price.
And yes, it has an animal on the label – several animals, actually – although it takes close inspection, and perhaps a bit of translation from Spanish, to work out all the wit and puns and Argentine slang that take this “critter” label out of the ordinary.
There are animals on the label for sure, but how many? Two? Three? Four? It’s not easy to tell. And what kind of animals are they? Sheep for sure, and a wolf’s head. A sheep wearing a wolf head as a mask and menacing another sheep, who does not seem impressed. Another sheep dangles upside-down from a tree. Or is that a dog? And a tiny shepherd in the distance raises a hand toward the sky.
Does the name give us a clue? “Cordero con Piel de Lobo.” “A sheep with the skin of a wolf”? It echoes the English proverb, “A wolf in sheep’s clothing,” but turns the tradition on its head and puts the sheep in wolfish attire. It’s interesting, it’s confusing, and the English translation at the bottom, “Sheep in wolf’s clothing,” does not diminish the cognitive dissonance.
And then there’s the winery name: “Mosquita Muerta.“ Dead Little Fly!?
All we can do at this point is head for our favorite search engine:
“Its name makes reference to the fable of “The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing” in order to symbolize the wine’s cunning,” according to an Argentine wine merchant’s website (my translation). The wine’s back label adds, in English, “Nothing is what it seems, the perception is our best skill.”
And, of course, we can try the wine.
“Mosquita Muerta,” the winery website explains in English, “is the Argentinian way of naming someone seemingly shy and harmless, who has more potential than expected. Mosquita Muerta has an ace up her sleeve, an unexpected poison, a plan in her hands. Don’t mess with her, or you may be trapped … forever.”
I have to award them extra points for imagination. But the question raised by the animal-label wisdom applies here: How is the wine? Happily, it is very good indeed, and more than fairly priced. My tasting report follows.
“Never buy a wine with an animal on the label.” What’s your response to this simple but not always reliable wisdom?
Today’s Tasting Report
Mosquita Muerta 2021 “Cordero con Piel de Lobo” Luján de Cuyo Malbec ($14.99)
Mosquita Muerta “Cordero con Piel de Lobo“ Malbec is dark purple in color, shading to a clear garnet edge. Pleasant fruit aromas suggest red plums and tart cherries and a subtle herbal note akin to basil. Flavors are consistent with the nose, medium-bodied and framed by fresh acidity and soft tannins. It’s fermented in concrete vats with half of the wine further aged in older barrels that contribute little wood character to the finished wine. 13.4% alcohol. U.S. importer: Vinamericas Inc., Miami. (Nov. 29, 2025)
FOOD MATCH: Argentine reds are classic with grilled beef, and the winery’s Spanish-language page suggests red meats in general or lamb. For plant-based options, consider robust entrees using black beans, eggplant, or pumpkin or butternut squash.
WHEN TO DRINK: This 2021 vintage is four years behind the current vintage, but it’s showing very nicely and still doesn’t seem in any danger of losing its fruit or balance. Enjoy within five years or so of the vintage, but choose the more recent vintages if available.
VALUE:
Wine-Searcher.com’s $15 average U.S. retail matches my local price; it’s a no-brainer for value in this range.
WEB LINK:
Here’s a link to an importer’s fact sheet. For the winery’s website in English, click here.
FIND THIS WINE ONLINE:
Check prices and find vendors for “Cordero con Piel de Lobo“ Malbec on Wine-Searcher.com.
Read about the Luján de Cuyo region in Argentina’s Mendoza province at this Wine-Searcher link.
Follow this Wine-Searcher link for information about the Malbec grape, with links to many wines and vendors.
Find the wines you want
Explore Wine-Searcher
Wine-Searcher.com is the place to go online if you want to find where to buy a particular wine that interests you. What’s more, Wine-Searcher.com offers so much more. It’s well worth a visit just to discover its many features, including its popular list of the world’s Top 10 Best Value Wines.
Good wines we’ve tried under $10.99!
Want tips to still more good, inexpensive wines? Here are Wine-Searcher links to vendors and prices for a bunch more wines for $10.99 or less that I’ve told you about in recent years. In some cases, the prices may have risen over the $10.99 mark since I reviewed them, but they should still be excellent bargains. Please tell us about your favorites!
Sponsor the Wine Advisor.
Support The 30 Second Wine Advisor and help us pay the rent while reaching 25,000 dedicated readers with your sponsorship message in this space, at the top of this E-letter, and on our social media. If you’re an established business in wine, food, and similar ventures, there’s no better way to focus your message toward an audience that comes here for just those topics. See our Sponsorship Page, or email Robin Garr for more information.
Wine Forum and Social Media
You’re always welcome to drop by our WineLovers Discussion Group, the Internet’s first and most civil online community. Discussions are open for public viewing, but you must register to post. To request registration, please contact me at wine@wineloverspage.com, tell me your name, mention the Wine Advisor, and briefly say why you’d like to participate in the forum. Sorry about the minor red tape, but this is our simple, low-tech way to deter spammers and bots.
I’d also be delighted to have you visit and “like” our WineLovers Facebook Page.
Read more articles from The 30 Second Wine Advisor
Previous Issue: « Mmm, that wine was good!
"Wisdom?" Hmmm. What anyone in their right mind should do is avoid paying attention to anyone dispensing advice based on nothing. Sure, animals are used on labels to help sell wine. Anything is fair game in the marketplace. The object is to stand out on the shelf, so obviously label design is more important than use of animals or any other illustration. Use of animals, however, is a time honored tradition used for thousands of years to make a point. Egyptians engraved cats, lions and all sorts of animal on their walls. The Greek gods loved to turn themselves into animals to do mischief. Families expressing their spirit and tradition used animals in their coat of arms. Animals are hugely important in Native American art and religion. Ergo, it makes sense, if you can do it tastefully, to put animals on your wine labels. You obviously pay big bucks for the brands associated with the Stags Leap District AVA. Frog's Leap makes some of the most serious low intervention, organic, dry farmed wines in the world. Respectable European brands employ everything from rhinos and birds to farm animals. Dogs are man's best friend, although cat people disagree, so of course you find dogs and cats on labels. If you don't like any of that, well then, you're just not... human!
Dan, I'm going to blame tariffs. :)
Seriously, it fits my definition for cheap - in the decent-wine market in the US right now - at a $15 price. I know the import chain is going to add price along the way. And without reference to other wines that I will never see here in the US, this is a darn nice Malbec. That's all I've got.