Economists study wine label designs to decipher purchasing behaviour.

Good study. Interesting read.

As do market researchers. There's a reason we have a proliferation of cute little animals on the shelf.

Thanks, an enjoyable and interesting read.

This is a good topic and one that I, along with a couple of others here on the forum, would be interested in getting some feedback on since we will be designing a label in the the near future.

What kinds of labels catch your eye? Traditional? Modern? Minimalistic? Ornate?

Personally, I like a little modern, minimalistic and artsy feel to labels.

I think the label should reflect the wine. I also think it should be designed to appeal to the market you are shooting for. Critter wines have critters on the label because that attracts the market they are aiming at, and (from my limited experience with them, wine snob that I am) seem to reflect the wine inside as well. You wouldn't put a critter on a high end bordeaux style blend, unless you're charging under $15 and aiming for the young (or young at heart....)

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiWineNovice:
What kinds of labels catch your eye?

A chateau flanked by magnolia trees

I think the wine should reflect thr region, for instance a Bordeaux with a traditional label, an Australian wine with a irreverent label and a California wine bright wistful label.

I like a label that tells a story, at least as much as it can. Frog's Leap does this (though not a fan of the wine). And many of that Bordeux houses or California labels picture the winery. I like those classics feel.

I also like the traditional labels or CdPs.

Or in the opposite extreme Mouton has developed quite the reputation for their labels using various artists.

I think many are successful - but I tend to be drawn to ones that tell a story of some sort. At least as much as a label can.

Hmmm.

Critter labels.

Do you mean like THIS one,

Or THIS one?

The font, elegance, and simplicity of these labels evokes a series of cascading emotions... greed, lust, envy, etc...

With hundreds of thousands of bottles out there, the label is very important when it comes down to the consumer making a final purchase. If you are trying to sell the wine, the label must be designed to make the consumer in the targeted market feel happy about the wine. If you are designing a label for your own personal cuvee, say a home-made batch or a Crush Pad project, make a label that you can still be happy looking at as you open a bottle for the 30th time. If you are trying to sell wine at $50 or more a bottle, there better be some seriousness involved. Examples include classic etching (Stag's Leap Wine Cellars), depiction of the grand chateau (such as Mondavi Rsv, Montelena, and most Bordeaux), serious commissioned artwork (Mouton, Kenwood Art Series, SQN), something elegant and ornate (Far Niente, Domaine Pegau), or a straight forward but formal graphic (Insignia, Shafer, Krug, Amon Ra), or a formal but minimalist label (Most Burgundy, Gaja) Only people who are serious about wine are likely to buy, and they want to know that the producer was serious about every aspect of the wine, including the label. On the other hand, if you are selling inexpensive wine aimed at a broad market, something fun like a critter or a red truck or an old photo of Marilyn Monroe seems to work well.

quote:

Originally posted by Board-O:

quote:

Originally posted by MiamiWineNovice:
What kinds of labels catch your eye?

A chateau flanked by magnolia trees

I find many magnolia trees in Tennessee! I'll send you a bottle!

BTW, I prefer the Lion on top of the tower!

This is a very interesting topic and as a person that collects labels (I have a wine diary that is probably 4 inches thick) I feel sure there are subtle things that catch my eye and draw me to a wine.

As I go through my labels a couple of things jump out...

1. Foil - I seem to like labels with some gold or silver foil. Labels from Nickel & Nickel, Pride Mountain or St. Clement Oroppas give me a feeling of luxury while others such as Rocket Science make me thing of something exciting and new. There doesn't have to be a lot of foil either. Even a little used for edging or the image of an animal (i.e. Turnbull Cab or Merlot) seems to be positive to me.

2. Black (or dark) background with Yellow, Gold or Red lettering - I think black labels generally give off a vibe of luxury and richness. The Oroppas, Whitehall Lane, Pride Mountain, Darioush, Peju, Martin Weyrich, Flora Springs, and Opolo Vineyards are good examples.

3. Coat of Arms or family crest makes me think of Olde World quality and tradition. Examples in my book would be Chateau La Fleur Nardon, Recolte du Domaine Beaune-Bressandes, Eyzaguirre, Rombauer, Bergstrom, and most Chateauneuf-du-Pape.

4. Irregular shapes - Think Honig, Delectus, Willa-Kenzie, Chimney Rock, and Sawyer.

5. Images of the winery or vineyards, but big enough to actually see. Far Niente is a great example along with Groth, Chimney Rock, Ponzi, and Namaste Vineyards.

At the other end, things I don't particularly like include cartoons (think Molly Dooker), dark images (Owen Roe's The Prisoner), Siduri, and several from Bonny Doon.

Lastly don't make labels too small or chic. I recently had a nice bottle of a Zinfandel called Saldo where the front label looked like it was made with a label gun. The wine was good but the overall image was less so.

Just my $0.02.

You can extend the design to the entire bottle a la Dolce... beautiful bottle.

Interesting blurb. For me personally, simple and easy to read is the way to go. Ridge for example, is one of my favorites. If you know the wine, the label becomes less relevant but if I don't know it, too fussy is a turn off. I start thinking they're trying to put something over. It's why I don't like the idea of much gold and silver on the label because it starts looking busy and cheap like those wines from Georgia.

Fife has a great label on a striking bottle that stands out in the store.

I love Fife wines and their labels. I wish they shipped me more of their wines since I'm a wine club member but haven't recieved any in the last six months.

I like bottles that are silk-screened rather than paper labeled.

I tend to be drawn to the simple and elegant. Old world Chateau style labels, Harlan/Bond, Rubicon, Ernie Els, etc. Even the screen printed labels, when well done in this style, have the same effect. There's that subliminal message that suggests if the bottle is that well done, then the wine must be of good quality, even though there's no necessary correlation.

The more vibrant and comical labels may get my attention on the shelf, but are more quickly dismissed. Even if I like the wine, I think I subconsciously take it less seriously, even though it may be completely unjustified. Even the best performance of Hamlet won't be taken seriously when Pee Wee Herman is in the lead.

I tend to hate cutesy labels or clever names like "angry housewife" but I have to admit a certain softness for the Mollydooker labels.