• Examiner.com, Friday, July 31, 2009 10:45 AM

Thanks to a certain news service with roots in the 19th century, there's an article circulating on many newspaper sites around the net about a ban of Cycles Gladiator Wines by the state of Alabama because it deems the label salacious. The label is a reproduction of an 1895 French art poster by painter G. Massias that was used as an advertisement for Gladiator bicycles, reports wine blogger Dennis Schaefer, who appreciated the wine even before its time in the media spotlight.

The wine is produced by Hahn Family Wines of Soledad, Calif. It's going to pull its wine from the state, but it's also going to use the ban to launch a new marketing campaign, "Banned in Alabama."

"We've sold 600,000 cases of Cycles Gladiator wines in 50 states, as well as 20 countries around the world, including sales in the state of Alabama for three years, and not received one single consumer complaint," says president Bill Leigon.

Rather than hunt down the static wire service story, you might head to the "I'm a Fan of Cycles Gladiator Wines" Facebook page for ongoing, consumer-generated news and insight about the saga. (http://www.facebook.com/CyclesGladiator more information).

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