Sex, Sexism and the Natural Wine Label

Whould you drink–or serve–a wine called “Big Titties” or “Panty Remover”? Most people’s answer would likely be “absolutely not.”

However, if you’ve dined at some of the country’s top restaurants, you may well have.

Those are in fact the names of two well-liked wines in the loosely defined category of “organic/natural”: Grololo by Domaine Pithon-Paillé in Anjou, and Piège à Filles by Touraine producer Les Capriades. Only the names are in French, which is likely why these kinds of labels have largely gone unquestioned in North America. Grololo is a pun on grolleau, the Loire variety from which it’s made, and “lolos” is a somewhat childish word for breasts. Piège à Filles would literally be translated as “girl trap,” but “panty dropper” or “panty remover” describes the idea more, er, faithfully.


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