Why Squirrels?

In the big inning, the Lord made squirrels and He said, “Let there be nuts!”

And so, a nut named Doug Nalle chose to honor the furry rodent on his faux family coat of arms. The year was 1984 and the wine business was full of itself and full of companies that felt the need to exaggerate their nobility and savoir faire. Never mind that the owner was the son of a steelworker from Pittsburgh.

Any self-respecting c-o-a included noble, strong, virile beasts, e.g., lions, rams, bears along with an occasional unicorn.

Ever the contrarian, Doug decided that two rampant squirrels would be just the right antidote to the pretentiousness that prevailed then and still does to this day. The 1984 squirrel appearance on the back label never was meant to be a long-term theme but here we are over three decades later, inviting customers of Nalle wines to join our “Squirrel Club” and learn the secret handshake.

Throw in our motto at the bottom, “Vinum sapientiam tibi dat” (Wine makes you smart), and you’ve got one heckuva coat of arms. We know this because the Prince of Lower Slobovia tried to buy the copyright.