Wine Label Design
You only get one chance to make a first impression.
Trust an experienced, award-winning wine label designer to make the most of that moment!
Your label—like your logo—isn’t just art. It’s an investment. It has a job to do and should be judged by whether it’s doing its job. Research says that a label is responsible for between 50% and 75% of a wine purchasing decision.
You need to be visible, readable and memorable.
Elk Haven
AWARDS
Double Gold Medal, 2022 Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division
Best of Category, 2022 Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division
2022, American Graphic Design Award
REVELATION by Goose Ridge
Explohr
We worked with Rob to create the company name, brand imagery, tagline and two tiers of packaging—one for traditional wines and another for his “explohratory” winemaking adventures.
For the explohratory wines, we created a series of six designs which, viewed together, display the full spectrum of color. Both transparent and opaque holographic films were used to catch the light and draw the eye.
AWARDS
2022 American Graphic Design Award
Alma Terra
AlmaTerra is both a word and a concept created by geologist, soil scientist and former Washington State University Professor Alan Busacca. The ideas of terroir and love of the earth inform the process of creating these wines all the way from the soil to the bottle. Consequently, they inform the brand’s name and imagery as well.
The logo we created for AlmaTerra simultaneously reflects both the rocky volcanic soils of the Pacific Northwest and the beauty of our home planet. The design of these labels tie those themes to the beautifully dramatic Columbia Gorge AVA.
AWARDS
2021 American Graphic Design Award
Gold Medal
2021 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Pinot NoirGold Medal
2021 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Zinfandel
Category 5
The design of Category 5’s brand and packaging are a natural outgrowth of winery owner Jason Smith’s background in internet and network technology. Both logo and primary label feature a “diagram” (loose, but a diagram) of digital circuitry.
There are two delightful alternative label designs supporting and conceptually related to the Cat 5 brand: “Hacker Rosé” and “Firewall Red.” Each is created to resonate within the Seattle/Redmond area tech community, because geeks like their wine!
AWARDS
Gold Medal
2020 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Framework RedSilver Medal
2020 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
The HackerPack Design Showcase
Wine Business Monthly, October 2021
The Hacker
Warr-King
Warr-King recently expanded its line of fine wines with two new label designs. The first, Tenacity, was inspired by the determined souls who follow their passion, don’t take no for an answer and refuse to let anything stand in their way. The second, Mouton Noir – French for Black Sheep – is characterized by the winemaker as “an outlier”: fun, but not what you would expect from their primary brand…which is an excellent reason to create a second (or third) label!
AWARDS
2017 San Francisco International Wine Awards’ Label Competition Medal
Rosé label2018 American Package Design Award
RoséSilver Medal
2020 Lone Star International Wine Competition
Tenacity2021 American Graphic Design Award
Warr-King logo2021 American Graphic Design Award
Red Wine LabelsDouble Gold
2021 Lone Star International Wine Competition
Cabernet Sauvignon Label2022 American Graphic Design Award
Lily Frances Petit Verdot Rosé
Goose Mountain
Washington State has a new AVA: Goose Gap. It lies in between such celebrated appellations as Red Mountain and Horse Heaven Hills, within the Yakima Valley and Columbia Valley AVAs. Its defining geographical feature is the long, low ridge of Goose Mountain – a perfect place to grow both wine grapes and fruit trees!
Goose Ridge Winery is near the bottom of the ridge, its vineyards sprawling toward the mountain in an amazing transformation of Eastern Washington’s desert into a lush, green agricultural paradise.
To honor this amazing setting and the excellent wines made here, we chose elements that signal luxury: super heavy, stout, tapered glass. An extra-large paper label was designed with a lovely texture. Rich color, deep emboss and matte gold foil were selected to embellish the design. A custom foil capsule features its own mark; a G with a feather through it.
Insider tip: Turned horizontally, the feather becomes an illustration of Goose Mountain.
AWARDS
2020 Gold Medal
Lone Star International Wine Awards2021 American Package Design Award
2021 American Graphic Design Award
Above the Curve
AWARDS
2021 American Package Design Award
GOLD MEDAL, 2022 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition, Packaging, Modern Illustration
Tapteil Vineyard
“Tapteil” is the Native American word for “narrow river”. In keeping with that theme, we designed a logo and wine label inspired by the Native American symbol for “sun, water, wind” — elements that make the Red Mountain terroir so special.
Cedar River Cellars
Precision winemaking is a fundamental distinctive of the Cedar River Cellars brand. To bring that value to life visually we combined the color and concentric rings of a cedar with the graceful waves of a river. In consequence, we have a highly memorable brand combining the graceful curves of water’s natural course down a river with the geometric precision of the stylized illustration of both river and a cedar tree’s rings.
AWARDS
Gold Medal
2020 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition2021 American Package Design Award
Vintage Lane
Lost Oak Winery wanted a second wine label with which to target millennial Texan women. Research indicated that members of this cohort are passionate about their boots, so we proposed a cooperative marketing strategy to Lane Boots. They agreed and supplied the wine’s brand name: Vintage Lane. Each varietal label is designed to feature a different Lane boot, with a corresponding fanciful name.
AWARDS
2014 American Package Design Award
Kolibri
This entire suite of labels was produced using the same cutting dies and metallic paper to allow for a luxurious feel to the wine, but accomplished within a very cost-sensitive budget.
AWARDS
2018 American Package Design Award
Nirvana
The literal meaning of the term Nirvana is “quenching”. How appropriate for a high-end wine brand rooted in the Buddhist tradition. We used an image of the tranquil lotus flower in developing their logo, complemented with mesmerizing mandalas on their wine labels.
AWARDS
Gold Medal
2019 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
2016 Syrah LabelGold Medal
2019 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
2015 Karma Red2021 American Package Design Award
2021 American Graphic Design Award
Moksha Rosé Label
Tipsy Canyon
As you run your fingers over the silver foil and deeply embossed waves of the Tipsy Canyon label, you are reminded of the other sensual experiences the winery provides from its home near the eastern shore of Lake Chelan: exquisite wines, a million-dollar view and exceptionally warm hospitality.
AWARDS
Silver Medal
2019 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Rosé LabelSilver Medal
2021 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Melange Noir Label
Mount Dorado
This label was designed to jump off a retail shelf, yet still maintain the perception of value with clarity and subtle simplicity. The back label communicates the story of the search for El Dorado — a mythical city of gold and diamonds.
Winchester Estate Winery
This client is in the process of converting a family farm into a vineyard and a winery – AND a Pheasant conservancy! To illustrate that unique aspect of their identity we created an exquisitely stylized pheasant illustration, executed with copper foil and a tiny pop of bright green to accentuate the neck feathers.
Alexandria Nicole Cellars
Alexandria Nicole Cellars came to us with a striking concept for a second label for a particularly dark, dark red wine that they called “Jet Black.” You can see the result: Black background, silver lettering and a stylized letter “A” to break through any visual clutter that may be about.
Stave & Stone Wine Estates
Elements of the Stave & Stone Wine Estates brand, labels and packaging, are drawn from the sport of archery: bow staves, fletches, arrows and quivers. Second labels have been created for Quiver (the carrying “case” for arrows when hunting) and Artúr (a tribute to the owner’s father, Arthur Fletcher).
AWARDS
Gold Medal
2020 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Artur Label
Milbrandt Vineyards
In creating a tier of single-vineyard of wines, Washington State’s Milbrandt Vineyards asked us to create a label specifically for this release of Tempranillo from their extensive vineyards in the Wahluke Slope area along the Columbia River. Subtle elegance and a very high-end label paper help create that image of substantial luxury.
Cicada Cellars
A relatively new winery from the High Plains of Texas, Cicada Cellars, worked with us to create branding and packaging for their lineup of wines. Their fanciful names are the best: “Chill Pill” and “Truth Juice” always get a great reaction!
AWARDS
Gold Medal
2019 Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
2015 Blue-Eyed Red
Martinez & Martinez
Martinez & Martinez asked that we “age” the logo that we did for them back in 2013 and incorporate an element of their family heritage—a sugar skull—into the design.
Another interesting element included in the background is a hand-written letter written from one generation of the family, emphasizing the family’s heritage.
AWARDS
2020 Bronze Medal
Lone Star International Wine Label Competition
Cosmo Bitches
Obsession Rosé is the first release by Cosmo Bitches, a brand targeting young, affluent, fun-loving ladies. The winery’s name came from a chance comment between the owners of Southern Cross Winery in discussing likely consumers of a particularly excellent Rose’ developed by their winemaker. It seemed perfect, so they brought us the name and supporting visuals…
We particularly enjoy the way that they gold emblem and pillow-embossed leather detail call various luxury brands to mind.
Illustration ©Lana Leonteva
AWARDS
2021 American Package Design Award
Carmelo Vineyards
There were interesting aspects to designing Carmelo Vineyards’ wine label. One was that the winery owner already had an idea and provided us with a napkin (literally) sketch of two horseshoes and a rose.
Another angle was that the wine would be sold only in a co-owned restaurant. Not competing visually with hundreds of other wines in a retail wall or aisle setting allowed the use of more subtle techniques to create a sophisticated look and feel. For instance, printing the labels on metallic film created the sensation of a foil label while retaining the lighter feel more appropriate to a Rose’.
Dettagli
AWARDS
2021 American Graphic Design Award
Bronze Medal
2021 Lone Star International Wine Competition
Label Design Award
Capital Call
AWARDS
2022 American Package Design Award
Lacewing Cellars
We designed their label around a stunning photo by Stephen Dalton. A realistic iridescence was added to the wings by applying a transparent holographic film during the printing process.
AWARDS
2022 American Package Design Award
Sunshine Valley Vineyards
This wine was initially sold in the United States, but the intended destination market from the start has been China, with its emphasis on corporate gifting. To establish SVV wine as luxury gift, we kept the design clean, subtle and low-contrast, and created metallic elements to differentiate it from other, lower cost wines. Once the wine AND label design won enough prestigious awards to establish its credibility as a high-end California wine, the move into the Chinese market began and has continued since,
AWARDS
Best Overall Package
Wines & Vines Packaging Expo
20152014 American Package Design Award
Live Happy Lane
AWARDS
2022 American Graphic Design Award, “SWAG”
2022 Gold Medal & Best in Category Silver, “BE BOLD” Montepulciano
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Gold Medal & Best in Category Silver, “Mesmer-eyes” Red Fleld Blend
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Gold Medal, SWAG
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Silver Medal, “STUD”
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Silver Medal, ”Southern Therapy” White Wine
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Silver Medal, Encore Dessert Wine
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Silver Medal, Le Bouquet Sparkling Rosé
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Silver Medal, Barbera
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Bronze Medal, Reserve Tannat
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division2022 Bronze Medal, “ SWAG” White Wine
Lone Star International Wine Competition, Wine Label Division
Alexander Huang
Developed for a chain of tasting rooms across China, this luxury Napa Valley wine speaks to a culture that esteems Western luxury. This is especially true when it comes to corporate gifting in China. That part of the Chinese market was specifically called out as the primary target in the process of developing this wine label design.