It doesn't take a genius or someone with an MBA to figure out what's happening with the advertising for new products in the great big beverage alcohol world.

I noticed a Coors Light truck on the highway the other day and it was plastered with advertising for Maxim Golf (Maxim being a magazine for young men that while overtly sexual in its images, stops short of the likes of Playboy). Naturally, your caddy would be a 20-something babe. Can the target be more obviously young men or, for that matter, men period?

Things have become rather more sophisticated when it comes to appealing to women. I think the approach has to be more subtle.

That whole premixed cooler thing started with a young female consumer in mind -- low alcohol, sweet and fruity, cold, a softer image than beer -- but producers were surprised at the male crossover.

But the problem with the products -- early boxed wines, the plethora of "fuzzy critter" labels -- is they weren't very good. And there was no room for consumers becoming more confident to moving up in the category.

For the past few months, Ontario has been, in effect, the testing ground for a new packaging concept by Burgundy negociant (merchant) Mommessin: a Grande Reserve Beaujolais and Grande Reserve Chardonnay in a 750-mL aluminum bottle with a "cooldot."

Whoever came up with this did their homework. A selling point is that the dot changes colour to tell you when the ideal temperature for drinking has been reached. The seal is a screwtop (even old timers like me cheer when we can simply twist a bottle open), the aluminum is recyclable and weighs less than glass, lowering the environmental impact of transport. Bottles are also lined for safety so the wine and metal are not in contact. Both are vintage dated, another selling point in many quarters.

The info on the bottles is simple and colourful, showing stylish young women enjoying themselves. Necktags explain just about everything.

Most importantly, the wines are good, the same wines Mommessin has built its reputation on.

OK, the "grande reserve" stuff is marketing, as the phrase has no real legal meaning in French wine law, but it sounds good. They were even clever enough to package the red as Beaujolais, since most consumers have an idea what that is (and yes, a light fruity red such as Beaujolais should be lightly chilled). Use the term Gamay, which is the grape variety, and you get blank expressions.

The exact reverse is true for the white. Technically, the wine is and could be labelled as Macon-Villages, but most folks don't know that Chardonnay grapes grown in certain villages around the town of Macon in southern Burgundy are entitled to use that name. Keep it simple and just call it Chardonnay.

The bottles have been on LCBO shelves since March. Based on early response, the agent representing Mommessin is looking to expand the concept to other parts of Canada.

It's a very bold move for Mommessin, an almost 150-year-old producer that makes the most Beaujolais and the most Cru (classified) Beaujolais in the world.

I tasted the new offerings, actually quite familiar wines, in their new package.

THE GRANDE RESERVE CHARDONNAY ($14.95, code 63446) is clean and fresh, clearly Burgundian in character, with green apple, citrus and lime qualities, a medium golden yellow in colour with a finishing touch of bitter almond.

THE GRANDE RESERVE BEAUJOLAIS ($14.95, code 63438) is, well, Mommessin Beaujolais, with that distinctive whiff of banana and bright cherry/berry flavours, fruity and fleshy, with very subdued tannin that offers a notion of orange peels and onion skins.

Wine and food doesn't get any better than this.

The annual Lakeside a la Carte is Aug. 10 from 1 to 5 p.m. in Spencer Smith Park in Burlington, and you're invited. It's hosted by Burlington Central Rotary to support various charities.

Some 20 local restaurants set up in the big tents in a bid to wow guests with their food creations. And more than a dozen Ontario wineries and a couple of breweries will be pouring libations.

Tickets are $95, all included, and part of that comes back as a tax deduction. They are available online at lakesidealacarte.com, by calling 905-631-5513, and in person at Scrivener's Men's Apparel on Brant Street, Better Bitters Brewing on Drury Lane, and The Graphic Attic on Caroline Street.

dkislenko@thespec.com 905-526-3450