San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Wine labels dazzle
Not surprisingly, the bottle is a beast itself, weighing more than 4 pounds each (the standard 750 ml bottle of wine weighs an average of 2.65 pounds). What’s inside the bottle is complex as well, with a bold, concentrated field blend of Petite Sirah, Tannat and Zinfandel from the winery’s estate vineyard.
“We want to update industry traditions and avoid clichés,” m2 founder Layne Montgomery said.
ALTERNATIVE PACKAGING BEST OF CLASS WINNER
This category included two other canned wine entries, but the Sea Wave got the judge’s attention for its jazzy, Venice Beach illustration, bohemian-style logo, chunky fonts and flapping seagulls.
It took a year to complete the art, as a collaborative effort with the Sea Wave/Plata Wine Partners parent company team and Cynthia Gander of Gander Design in Nicolaus (Sutter County).
The Napa-based Plata Wine Partners has an interesting business model. It owns and manages 60-plus vineyards, comprising more than 18,000 acres, and besides making wine, the company specializes in design, branding, marketing and sales management.
“Roughly 90% of consumer purchase selection decisions are driven by packaging,” said Plata Vice President of Sales and Marketing Aaron Fein. “We were inspired by the source of the grapes, where Plata has substantial companyowned coastal vineyard ranches. The coast lends its maritime influence to ideal grape growing conditions, and needless to say, is known for its spectacular beauty.”
The cans are also prominently stamped with “70 Calories” and “7% Alc/Vol.” The cans are 250ml (8.45 ounces), though, so in smaller type below that “70 Calories” are the words “Per 5 oz. Serving” — in case a customer is able to stop at drinking just over half a can.
“We embarked on extensive research and development of wines that are lower in alcohol and calories yet still deliver exceptional varietal character,” Fein said. “This is now being referred to as the Better For You wine category.”
Consumers are also more openly embracing canned wines, the company has found, appreciating their convenience and portability.
“Wine in a can is still a very early adopter in my opinion, but expanding quickly,” Fein said. “The biggest issue we see is that retailers find merchandising wine in cans challenging because of all the other products out there in cans. But the intention here is to recruit new occasions for enjoying wine in non-traditional places and times of the day, such as at pools, on beaches, while hiking, volleyball, golf.”
Or, as the rosé’s marketing materials suggest, “Each delightfully smooth sip packs a peach-punch that entertains like a Friday night at the disco.”
MINIMAL PACKAGING BEST OF CLASS WINNER
The Oregon winery actually won two other awards for its labels, too — a Silver in Minimal Packaging for its 2017 Willamette Valley Brut Cuvee and a Silver in Surface Designs Packaging for its 2018 Columbia Valley Weinbau Cabernet Franc.
“My brother Taylor designed the 7 Rows label,” said King Estate Winery National Sales Manager Justin King. “It struck me that a vineyard row tag would be a great wine label because it listed all of the relevant information right there on the tag. Taylor ran with the idea and designed an incredibly detailed print version of the tag, complete with embossed and debossed screw head and lettering. He also chose the final paper type and (rich red and black) colors.”
The label is a departure from the classic chateau drawing often seen on highend wines like this $120 bottling, but King finds there is a lot of market appeal in the contemporary look.
“I see more and more minimalist labels around these days, many without any text on the front label at all, and personally I love it,” he said. “I also like music album art that does not feature text or is not text heavy, so perhaps that’s also an influence here. Traditional labels are still great, but it’s always a good challenge to break off in a way that still feels elegant and celebrates a more modern sensibility.”