The Wine Knows

If you lived in the Pacific Northwest in the '70s, then you might fondly recall the famous Rainier Beer commercials. They were sometimes poignant, often funny and generally captured the nature and humor of our region.

The best-loved and most-remembered commercial is known as "the motorcycle," and another one known as "the frogs" was later ripped off by Budweiser.

Rainier had a long history in the Pacific Northwest, finally being sold in the late '90s when national brands chipped away at its marketshare.

What remains of regional pride for Rainier are those commercials. With the Washington wine industry's marketshare hovering around 20 percent (and Oregon's about 10 percent), perhaps a big dose of humor could do the trick. I'd love to see someone step up with some commercials that take the snobbery out of wine and bring in regionality.

The wine company to do this could be Precent Brands in Seattle. The labels already are on the amusing side, and the company is producing some delicious wines at modest prices. A print/TV/radio campaign that injects a bit of humor into this industry would be welcomed.