Visual re-branding: When wineries change their labels

What are your feelings about wineries changing their logos? I'm talking about what one might think of as "visual re-branding": the name of the winery doesn't change, but they completely alter their logo and label style.

I have no marketing background, so my particular bent on this issue is as follows. I think that while fonts and graphic elements can be changed or updated for stylistic refreshment, a winery's logo (if applicable) and basic colour scheme is part of their visible identity, and so if this changes to something wholly different than what consumers have come to know it as, it can be jarring. Also, it may suggest that they are undergoing an identity change, and so one always wonders whether that will impact the style of wines they produce - for better, or perhaps for worse.

While it's a wholly different industry altogether, I like to think of airlines and their colour schemes. Certain airlines have gone through multiple re-branding episodes, to the point that you get the impression that their corporate identity itself is in some kind of permaflux. Others - e.g. Lufthansa, Air France, KLM - have held on to their basic styles for a very long time, with minor tweaks here and there.

There's something to be said for a stable logo or at least colour scheme: you instantly recognize the product.

The other question is whether changes that simplify the wording on a label in favour of simple initialisms are really as effective as perhaps the protagonists like to think...

I think I'm with you. I tend to like it when an established brand leaves the heart of their logo (identity) untouched. Times do change and I"m okay with a company/winery embellishing their packaging as long as that main identity remains. Especially if it has become a trademark of sorts.

In the wine world, my first thought was Perrier Jouet's "flower bottle". It is my favorite champagne bottle and I cant imagine it being done away with or drastically altered. The same with the Dom Perignon shield I suppose.

Jeff

well, sometimes you 'instantly recognize the product' and think bad things. so in that case 'rebranding' may be important if the product has in fact improved. as for 'initializing' - i think that in another realm it was a mistake for proctor and gamble to change to p&g. its ok to talk like that in the office; but the public had a pretty good respect for the old complete name and no feeling whatsoever for the new one.

[David M. Bueker]

I care about what is in the bottle, not what is on it.

I know labels sway some consumers. I find that baffling in the same way I find people picking Super Bowl winners based on unforms baffling.

Pretty much what David said.
Though I do enjoy some of the classic and distinctive labels from certain producers (Willi Schaefer, Verset, Hirtzberger, Wendouree and Gruaud Larose), but those haven't ever factored into my buying decisions. Heck, I find Philippe Pacalet's labels atrocious (and am not a fan of the new ones at von Othegraven), but those aren't stopping me buying the wines.

well, sometimes you 'instantly recognize the product' and think bad things. so in that case 'rebranding' may be important if the product has in fact improved. as for 'initializing' - i think that in another realm it was a mistake for proctor and gamble to change to p&g. its ok to talk like that in the office; but the public had a pretty good respect for the old complete name and no feeling whatsoever for the new one.

Yeah, that's my problem with the initialism / acronym fad in recent years.

I grew up with Kentucky Fried Chicken, not KFC... (even though I don't eat it, I still like the sound of the old name)

Sometimes, less is not more.

I care about what is in the bottle, not what is on it..

What is on the bottle provides some information about what is in the bottle. I wouldn't say it is anywhere near my top five sources of information for deciding whether to purchase or not. But the label (and bottle in general) tell you how the winemaker is marketing his/her wine and what his/her vision is for the wine (i.e. modern vs. traditional vs. natural - to use just three quick genres). And, at times that information can be important.

Pretty much what David said.
Though I do enjoy some of the classic and distinctive labels from certain producers (Willi Schaefer, Verset, Hirtzberger, Wendouree and Gruaud Larose), but those haven't ever factored into my buying decisions. Heck, I find Philippe Pacalet's labels atrocious (and am not a fan of the new ones at von Othegraven), but those aren't stopping me buying the wines.

That's pretty much my position, too. I love Emmerich Knoll's labels in the Wachau and some of the labels of the Barolo traditionalists. If the wine inside those bottles wasn't also superb, though, I don't know that I'd have quite the same appreciation for the label art.

Mark Lipton

Not applicable to wine geeks who often know what they are looking want before entering the store. However, for the larger wine buying public who puts limited thought into the purchase prior to making it this can be an important issue. As the owner of the winery I worked for many years ago told me, they can't buy the wine if they don't pick it up. If changing the label design results in more people picking up the bottle, sales should also increase.

[David M. Bueker]

I care about what is in the bottle, not what is on it..

What is on the bottle provides some information about what is in the bottle. I wouldn't say it is anywhere near my top five sources of information for deciding whether to purchase or not. But the label (and bottle in general) tell you how the winemaker is marketing his/her wine and what his/her vision is for the wine (i.e. modern vs. traditional vs. natural - to use just three quick genres). And, at times that information can be important.

I find the labels and bottle styles to be more misleading than informative, unless they provide specific details (a la Ridge) about the wine. Heck, Pax Mahle is still using the occasional oversized, heavy bottle for some of his Wind Gap wines. They are not being positioned as modernista wines though from the weight of the bottle you might think so.

Heck - Eric Texier's Cote Rotie and Baudry's Croix Boissee still come in remarkably heavy, thick bottles that are almost SQNesque, and those are two of the most classical, old world wines I can think of.

Mark - agreed on Knoll's labels. They look fantastic, and of course the wines behind are usually tremendous.

Heck - Eric Texier's Cote Rotie and Baudry's Croix Boissee still come in remarkably heavy, thick bottles that are almost SQNesque, and those are two of the most classical, old world wines I can think of..

Yes, but look at the labels. You would never mistake either of their labels for new-wave monstrosities.

However, I'm not saying any of this is exact science. And I wouldn't exactly call Baudry's generous fruit style to be 'the most classical' that I could think of (Couly-Dutheil might take that, with a label to match).

Of course the other key variable is how much marketing science the producers inject into their label/packaging. In the case of Baudry and Texier that marketing science might not be as highly correlated with the product as for others. Puzelat on the other hand gives me a very different impression.

[David M. Bueker]

Heck - Eric Texier's Cote Rotie and Baudry's Croix Boissee still come in remarkably heavy, thick bottles that are almost SQNesque, and those are two of the most classical, old world wines I can think of..

Yes, but look at the labels. You would never mistake either of their labels for new-wave monstrosities.

What does the label of a new wave monstrosity look like? Turley labels are fairly understated (to name a specific example that you might consider monstrous).

What does the label of a new wave monstrosity look like?

Aside from the Sparky-type wines that are all about standing out on the rack of $10 cheapies, the only high end ones I can think of that are really obnoxious are Cayuse, SQN and one or two Saxums. Most others really aren't that bad...

What does the label of a new wave monstrosity look like?

If you allow me to take back the word monstrous because I don't want to be offensive, I'd say that the Siduri labels tell their story (and their distinction from Saintsbury, for example) pretty clearly. This comes to mind because I actually bought a bottle of Siduri pinot noir recently!

What does the label of a new wave monstrosity look like?

If you allow me to take back the word monstrous because I don't want to be offensive, I'd say that the Siduri labels tell their story (and their distinction from Saintsbury, for example) pretty clearly. This comes to mind because I actually bought a bottle of Siduri pinot noir recently!

I don't think you can generalize. With many Bordeaux, the spoofed versions appear to have the same classical chateau label as more old-school ones. There are well-designed labels and poorly-designed ones, sometimes they tell what's inside the bottle and sometimes not. I'm of the opinion that the importer on the BACK label (or front, as Kermit may be) is more important than the front of the label. Paul - sometimes labels need to be changed to reflect placement strategies of the winery (perhaps a winery wants to 'upscale' their image), to seem fresh, to reflect an image, to stand out from competitors...there are many reasons, but I don't think the label changes the winemaking, but sometimes a change in winemaking is followed by a new label as if to say "You can see how we have changed, just look!" and I'm short on examples here but I have noticed Faiveley has come out with a new label after (positive) changed have been made at the winery in the mid-2000's.

Problem is that any label that is modernised because the current one looks 'old fashioned' soon in turn becomes old fashioned itself.

I like vertical tastings where labels from yonks ago are recognisably the same as the current one - such as many Bordeaux chateaux - and my own favourite, Ridge from California.

Its possible to modernise by making small incremental tweaks so that the label remains recognisable.

But for total rebranding.. we've seen that with the very popular NZ big brand Montana who recently changed their name to Brancott seemingly seemlessly.

Pretty much what David said.
Though I do enjoy some of the classic and distinctive labels from certain producers (Willi Schaefer, Verset, Hirtzberger, Wendouree and Gruaud Larose), but those haven't ever factored into my buying decisions. Heck, I find Philippe Pacalet's labels atrocious (and am not a fan of the new ones at von Othegraven), but those aren't stopping me buying the wines.

That's pretty much my position, too. I love Emmerich Knoll's labels in the Wachau and some of the labels of the Barolo traditionalists. If the wine inside those bottles wasn't also superb, though, I don't know that I'd have quite the same appreciation for the label art.

Mark Lipton

Mark - Interesting. I certainly respect your opinion, and would agree that Knoll is one of Austria's greatest producers. That said, I personally find the labels garish and overdone. I'll still buy the wines, of course.

The new von Othegraven labels don't bother me, though. If there is a German label that has recently changed for the worse, I would have to go with Jakoby-Mathy rebranding their wines as "Jakoby Pur", although I think that their wines are underrated.

Some of my favorite labels are those from Castellare di Castellina, Quintarelli, Karthäuserhof, Maximin Grünhaus, and Schloß Johannisberg. I also love Marcel Deiss' illuminated Grand Cru labels, and von Kesselstatt's retro Josephshöfer design.

Mark - Interesting. I certainly respect your opinion, and would agree that Knoll is one of Austria's greatest producers. That said, I personally find the labels garish and overdone. I'll still buy the wines, of course.

They are garish and overdone, Andrew, but that's part of their charm for me. Traveling through the Wachau, one sees the continuing presence of the Baroque in the architecture and decorations of the churches. To me, Knoll's labels very faithfully evoke the Baroque elements of Wachau Catholicism. YMMV, of course.

Mark Lipton