Winebits 719: Grey Poupon, Halloween wine, wine growlers

This week’s wine news: How about Grey Poupon wine? Plus, Franzia returns with Halloween costumes and California allows wine growlers

• The horror, the horror: How about white wine infused with mustard seeds? That’s the latest marketing ploy from Big Food’s Kraft Heinz, and it only set you back $30. Which, of course, also would buy three terrific $10 wines or a very, very nice French wine. But that’s what marketing geniuses do these days – find ways for us to waste our money so they can pat themselves on the back for another brilliant promotion. And I’m not the only who feels that way. The San Francisco Chronicle’s Esther Mobley, usually about as level-headed as wine writers get, called it terrible (and blamed Alison Roman).

• Bring on the Franzia costumes! Yes, this is silly (though not as silly as $30 Grey Poupon wine), but it appeals to all my cranky ex-newspaperman instincts. You can dress up like a box of Franzia wine for Halloween – and, given the cost of the Grey Poupon wine, it’s a deal at $40. I wrote about this last year, but it’s worth mentioning again because so many women of a certain age will show up at Halloween parties dressed like this. The costumes are made of soft material and fit from the shoulders to the thighs of a typical adult – and include a side pouch for wine.

• Wine growlers: One of the things that made craft beer so hip was the growler. Bring a bottle to the local craft producer and get it filled – no cans, no bottle tops, and great Instagram pictures. A new law in California will allow all wineries to do the same thing. In other words, bring an old wine bottle, fill it up, take it home, and repeat. Dare I say that that is not only sustainable, but cool? And doesn’t involve paying $30 for Grey Poupon wine.