Labels that stick with you

Wines & Vines, May, 2004 by Larry Walker

Over the years, Wines & Vines has published dozens of articles on what makes a wine label work. After going into the archives and reviewing a few of those articles, it seems that no one can really give you a definitive answer--or rather the answer keeps changing. There are plenty of trends, hot buttons, techniques, printing processes, esoteric designs and what have you, but when it comes to walking down the aisle at your local wine shop, what makes you stop and reach out for a bottle to take a closer look?

The following labels all had that certain something that seemed to be a step beyond the usual. Call it love at first sight, across a crowded retail shop.

Let us know what you think of our choices, and tell us what attracts you to a particular wine label. We'd be glad to print your answers.

Artesa Winery, Carneros, Napa

The simplicity of this label is really a grabber. The design seems strong yet fluid, rising from a solid base in the earth and reaching for the sky.

According to Brenda Peterman, director of marketing for the winery, the goal was to come up with an elegant and modern label that would also depict the winery itself. "We wanted to have a very strong logo/icon on the label just as we do in the building here at the winery, and there are elements of the winery within the label. The colors were chosen to represent the symbolic metals and to suggest craftsmanship of the package, and more importantly the wine."

The label was designed by Ken Winston (kenwinston.com); phone: (707) 996-9057; e-mail: ken@kenwinston.com. It was printed by Tapp Technologies in Napa (tapptech.com); phone: (888) 834-8277.

Gargiulo Vineyards, Napa Valley

The bold black and white graphics for this family owned winery's label seem to pop off the shelf. It was designed by April Gargiulo, who also handles sales and marketing, with the help of a graphic designer in Atlanta, Ga. "I knew I wanted a graphic solution," she said. "I didn't want a label with a picture of vines or a big chateau. I wanted something simple that would help people identify with us. The gold seal in the center of the label is our family crest," she said. The label was printed by Herdell Printing in St. Helena, phone: (707) 963-3634; e-mail: digprep@ napanet. "They did a great job," Gargiulo said. "It was a difficult label to get right."

Miner Family Vineyards, Napa Valley

This is one of those labels that may not appear striking at first glance, but keeps coming back in memory and turns out to be very recognizable. Something in the design itself is quite compelling.

David Miner came up with the concept of the label, which was designed by Jeffrey Caldewey and printed by Tapp Technologies. It's featured in the book, Icon, Art of the Wine Label. Caldewey can be reached at (707) 252-6666, or e-mail jeffrey@icondesigngroup.net.

"The winged disc appears in many ancient Assyrian reliefs. It is a representation of the sun god Shamash," Miner said. "I chose this because the Assyrians and Mesopotamians were the earliest winemakers, and my father's heritage is also Assyrian. I had done some research in my school years on harvest rituals and wine in early Assyrian culture, and thought it would be an effective symbol for our label. The idea was to make something that was both ancient looking and graphically modern."

Charles B. Mitchell Vineyards, Sierra Foothills

Charles B. Mitchell, a Sierra foothills winery in the recently approved Fair Play American Viticultural Area, has some truly standout labels for a wide range of wines. We were particularly struck by the Merlot label. Jill Mitchell, who handles sales and marketing for the family owned winery, designed the label herself. It was printed by Vintage 99 in Livermore, Calif, (vintage99.com); phone: (925) 294-5270; e-mail: davidb@vintage99.com.

Mitchell is a fan of art deco, particularly of posters and product labels. That feeling certainly comes through in the label. Mitchell said, via e-mail, "The symbolism on this one is the lady is standing on a globe, which represents the fact that grapegrowing and winemaking have allowed us to be part of an international community of wine producers. We are also negociants, importers and conduct wine tours in France. France was the inspiration of our winery and a place we have strong ties to."

Mitchell added that the idea of the woman in particular and the label in general is to convey the idea of "style and balance."

Parry Cellars, Napa Valley

Stephen and Sue Parry make a small amount of wine from their vineyard on the Silverado Trail, just north of Napa. The label is striking in its bold red and black design, which was inspired by their vineyard, according to Stephen Parry.

"We have a lot of obsidian on our property, so when we started thinking about the label we wanted to have black on the label and then red from the wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is the only wine we make," Stephen Parry said.

The flexo label was designed by Tracey Brady, a communications specialist and graphic artist. It was her first label design. She is based in Stamford, Conn., phone: (203) 329-0682; mailing address: 113 Dannell Dr., Stamford, CT 06905. The label was printed by Paragon Label in Petaluma, Calif. (paragonlabel.com); phone: (800) 799-9599; e-mail: tjackson@mgpc.net.