About a year ago, I wrote a big story about the Prisoner Wine Co., a winery that has become wildly successful while appearing to glamorize tropes of incarceration. I was struck by how distasteful it seemed that the St. Helena tasting room was outfitted in shackles and prison cell-like bars, and that the company released wines with lurid names like Derange and Eternally Silenced — all of which seemed to trivialize the harsh realities of mass incarceration in our society.
That’s particularly significant because the Prisoner isn’t just any wine. It’s one of the most powerful wines in existence: Last year its flagship red blend was the third-best-selling wine over $25 in the U.S., according to data analytics firm Information Resources Inc. Its success has spawned copycat brands, all aiming to capture the Prisoner’s viral combination of dark, edgy labeling and rich-tasting red wine. This wine has a unique responsibility — and a unique opportunity.