19 Crimes wine: the story, the talking labels, and why it sells

The short answer: 19 Crimes is a wine brand owned by Treasury Wine Estates, built around the British convicts who were transported to Australia. Each label shows a convict, each cork names a crime, and an app makes the labels talk. The original wines are Australian; the Snoop Dogg wines come from California. It sells on story, not on scores, and that is exactly why it is worth a sommelier's attention.

The history behind the name

For 80 years, Britain sent convicts to the other side of the world. The National Library of Australia counts about 162,000 men and women transported to three colonies: New South Wales (1788–1842), Tasmania (1803–1852) and Western Australia (1850–1868). The last convict ship to Western Australia, the Hougoumont, reached Fremantle in January 1868.

The brand turns that history into a bottle. In its own words, there are “19 corks, one for each of the 19 crimes” that could get a person sentenced to “Punishment by Transportation”. The labels carry real transportees, each with a name and a short story of how they ended up in Australia.

The labels that talk

In August 2017 the brand launched an augmented-reality app and billed it as the first ever made for wine. Point your phone at the label and the convict comes to life and tells their story. The first three: John O'Reilly on the Red Blend, James Wilson on The Banished, and Jane Castings on Hard Chard, the brand's first white wine and first woman on a label.

Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart

• Snoop Cali Red (2020): a Californian red from Lodi, 65% Petite Sirah, 30% Zinfandel and 5% Merlot, made with Snoop Dogg. Scan it and Snoop talks to you.
• More Snoop wines followed: Cali Rosé in 2021, then Cali Blanc and Cali Gold.
• Martha Stewart (2022): she joined in March 2022 as the face of a 19 Crimes Chardonnay.

So yes, Snoop Dogg is part of 19 Crimes, as a partner with his own wines. He does not own the brand: Treasury Wine Estates does.

The range

Mostly red, with whites, rosé and limited editions. On the brand's own site: Cabernet Sauvignon, Hard Chard, The Uprising, The Warden, The Banished and the Cali by Snoop collection. The Uprising is “aged 30 days in rum barrels”, a nod to the Rum Rebellion of 1808, when officers of the New South Wales Corps deposed Governor William Bligh. The brand describes it as “intensely rich with a jammy finish”.

Why it works: a sommelier's view

Most wine is sold on place, grape and score. 19 Crimes sells a feeling: rebellion, second chances, a story you can tell as you pour. John Wardley of Treasury Wine Estates told The Real Review in March 2022 that the brand is about “redemption; individuality; thumbing your nose at the conventions”, not about wineries or vineyards. He also credited the Snoop Dogg partnership with bringing in people who were new to wine.

• A face on the label. People connect with people before grapes.
• A story in ten seconds. Every bottle answers “why this one?” before anyone asks.
• Something to do. Scanning a label turns a purchase into a moment to share.
• A price that invites trying. Everyday, value-tier wine, so curiosity costs little.

It is what I believe about selling any wine: sell the feeling, not the score. A fine-wine list can learn from it too. Give each bottle a one-line story and watch which ones the guests remember.

Is 19 Crimes good wine?

It is made to be approachable and affordable, not to be a fine wine, and it does that job. If you like it, use it as a door. Enjoy the ripe, dark-fruited reds? Try an Australian Shiraz from a family estate, or a Zinfandel from Lodi, where Snoop's red is grown. Not sure what to try next? Tell SOMM DIGI AI what you liked and ask for three bottles in the same mood.

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