Unit 1 Candidate Assignment April 2012: The Presentation and

Unit 1 Assignment: The Presentation and Packaging of Wine C08010723

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Unit 1 Candidate Assignment April 2012:

The Presentation and Packaging of Wine

C08010723

(taken by C08010723 personally April 2012)

Word Count: 2750 (excluding References and Bibliography)


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Introduction

No matter which area of the wine industry you work in, image is important. I have spent the last 7

years working in the retail and service sectors of the industry, and in both areas, image is important

to the consumer. Image and communication sells, and the bottle is the vehicle to move it. Whether it

is a bright, snazzy bottle design on a supermarket shelf, or a Sommelier offering a wine with similar

designs, I find that the customer will almost always decide on the wine before trying it, simply by

looking at the label. What makes us do this? Why is the image of a wine label so important? Surely

it’s what’s inside which counts? These are all valid questions and I believe the answer is simply

branding. Over the past forty years, you can see the big corporate brands forcing their way into our

lives with marketing, branding and hollow promises of ‘ease’, ‘style’, and ‘comfort’. McDonalds,

Tommy Hilfiger, Gallo to name a few. I admire the small, artisan ‘natural’ wine producers for

choosing to go back to the roots of viticulture and vinification. They produce wines with a sense of

place with simple, yet elegant labelling and not big and bold advertising.

In the digital age, it is so much easier for producers to communicate with their consumers via

websites, social media and devices. And all of this can be distributed via the bottle. There are many

components of the bottle that can be used to communicate visually with the consumer. For this they

can use the front label, back label, capsule, cork and even the glass itself. Whether it be QR codes or

web links printed on the labels, removable contact information or email addresses printed along

corks, there are many ways to communicate. In this assignment, I will discuss each of these factors

and their advantages and disadvantages.

(Packaging of the world) (Chateau Bauduc)


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What must be expressed and communicated via the presentation of a wine

‘Over the past few years there have been two distinct moves which have led to more information

appearing on the label: one led by the consumer and the other by the Authorities’. (Fielden, 2005,

pp.127)

Let’s start with the Authorities. Due to EU legislation, a wine label must meet certain specifications

in addition to the new ways of marketing to consumers. QWPSR (Quality Wine Produced in a

Specified Region) doesn’t just regulate the maximum yields of grapes in a region, grape varieties

used or minimum alcohol content, It also regulates all information on the wine labels. Using Spanish

Wine Law explained by Fielden (2005, pp.218) as an example: There are 8 areas which must be

identified on the label. Firstly, and in no particular order, is the QWPSR region. This is the specific

region where the grapes will have been grown and the wine made. This generally takes centre stage

on the labels in France as the AC’s tend to be more recognisable than the producer. But in Spain, it is

traditional for the Bodega to be printed in larger font with the QWPSR slightly smaller. Secondly the

QWPSR category must be shown (i.e. DOC, DOCG, AC, VDQS etc.). Thirdly, the name and address of

the producer and bottler must also be present. The country of origin must be stated as well as the

alcohol by volume and volume contents. As I mentioned, the ‘Brand’ name must also be used and

tends to be the most visible feature. Finally the vintage and level must be shown, e.g. 1997 Crianza,

which depicts that the wine has been aged in wooden casks and has done so for a minimum period.


An example of a 1989 German

Riesling showing all of the key

requirements of German and EU

wine law.


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With the exception of the use of minimum aging levels that is used in certain Spanish wines, all areas

of Europe follow the same regulations. These have helped to showcase the famous regions of

Chablis, Chianti, Rioja and St Emillion, among many others, that are so well known. However, in

today’s global wine market, the New World, and their more relaxed approach to labelling

regulations, has meant that they have the ability to appeal to consumers who do not have or wish to

have the knowledge required to understand the varietals and styles of the Old World. The New

World labels tend to be very straight forward, stating the varietal, generally, as the most dominant

part of the label. Until recently, the New World was focused on varietal rather than region. However,

over the last few years, Australian wine or Wine Australia (Wine Australia, 2012) in particular has put

a lot more emphasis on the regions of Australia and their nuances within wine production.

Therefore, the labels are now starting to show specific vineyards (like the picture below, right) rather

than more emphasis on branding (like the picture below, left).


The New World does have some major requirements when importing and selling their wines into the

EU. They must have the regulations stated above, e.g. name and address of producer, alcohol

content, volume etc. But now, they must also state the name and address of the importer. Another

essential label regulation is Batch or Lot numbers. In my role, as a Sommelier, these numbers are

crucial. Without these numbers, corked and out of condition wines would not be able to be returned

and compensated for and they occur very frequently.

Branding, vintage, and

varietal are more prominent.

The vineyard site, referring to

altitude and region are more

prominent than varietal or vintage

in this case.


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Some modern, dynamic Old World producers are now starting to use a more varietal approach. For

Example:


It is not illegal or uncommon to describe varietals on the labels in the Old world but they tend to be

hidden inside the text on the back label. Using them in such a way on the front is a relatively recent

practice.

Many countries in the New World have their own regulations on wine labelling. For example, in the

USA, it is a legal requirement to have the Brand name on the label. This is usually the producer’s

name. But also, the USA legislates that labels must carry warnings, such as ‘According to the Surgeon

General, women should not drink alcoholic beverages during pregnancy because of the risk of birth

defects’ and ‘Consumption of alcoholic beverages impairs your ability to drive a car or operate

machinery and may cause health problems’ (Calwineries Inc., 2012). In Chile, the only required

components on the labels are the name and address of producer/bottler, Alcohol content, contents

in ml, and the winery name. Therefore, you could in fact not tell the consumer what the varietal is.

You do not have to mention the vintage, the appellation, a description, and text on back labels at all.

In my opinion, doing this would be completely detrimental to their potential worldwide sales (Wines

of Chile, 2009). But, as of yet, I’m yet to see a Chilean Wine with no varietal on the label.

The use of Chardonnay/Chenin

Blanc on the front label in large font

is an attempt to capture the ‘new’

wave of wine drinkers.


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What CAN be expressed and communicated via the presentation of the wine

Websites are at the forefront of everyday life, and you would be pushed to find a winery and wine

bottle without a website printed on the back label. The areas that excite me are the pathways of

how to reach those websites. As we live in the 24hr information age, QR codes, like the example

below, are becoming much more prominent in society. They give you an effortless way to channel in

to genres that interest you. Quick Response codes are matrix barcodes that were first designed for

the automotive industry due to its fast readability and large storage capacity. The Wine industry has

taken this technology in with open arms, with producers like Quinta Vale d’Agodinho, as discussed

by Oscar (2012) are embracing the technology. These QR codes would be rendered unusable if it

weren’t for the Smartphone. Ofcom (2011) states that 27% of Adults in the UK have a Smartphone

and 47% of teenagers have a Smartphone. It also states that 59% of them acquired their

Smartphone’s in the past year, meaning this technology is very current. This evidence shows that in

10 years time, when the teenagers of today are starting to drink and more importantly enjoy wine,

that QR codes will be indispensable.

Social media, for example, Facebook and Twitter, are generally used once the consumer has reached

the producers website, and is a means of continued communication and therefore regular consumer

spend. With a combined 1 Billion users, Facebook and Twitter are incredibly useful tools for Wine

producers to communicate, build relationships and advertise their products to consumers. These can

also be promoted on the label by printing the winery’s ‘Twitter name’ for example; @mynameiswine

(Austin, Ben., 2012)


QR codes and websites are now common components of the wine bottle in the communication with

consumers. Another very important area is the actual back label of the bottle where these are


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situated. The back label offers the producer a platform to communicate with the consumer on a one

to one basis. Most back labels will offer full tasting notes, although perhaps we shouldn’t listen to

what the winemaker is telling us and figure it out for ourselves! Food and wine matching is another

common script on the reverse of wine bottles. Here in the UK we are right in the middle of a Food

Revolution, with television shows such as Saturday Kitchen and Something for the Weekend

promoting cooking but also Wine and Cocktail matching. It’s now more important than ever for wine

producers to offer this information on their label. There is so much emphasis being put on the art of

Food and Wine matching that producers would be unwise to not follow suit.

The back label can also be used to appeal to consumers by explaining a little about the winery, it’s

history, and region. Giving the consumer a mental image of where the wine is made, by who and

using what.

M


Other ways to connect with your consumers are ‘tear off’ slips on the back label (as in the photo

below). These are great ways for the consumers to build a library of wines that they have tried and

enjoyed to help them with future purchases.

Morgenster Estate have decided to

explain their rich history, location

within South Africa, the varieties it

uses, and the people who make the

wine.


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Corks can also be used to communicate with consumers. The picture below (left) shows a Diam cork

with the producers website printed around the bottom and top of the cork. As with the ‘tear off’

slips, I feel this method will only work if the consumer collects the corks from the bottles which they

have drank. And the picture of the cork on the right shows the telephone number and website

printed along it. These wines are by no coincidence from the new world!



An example of New World

ingenuity. A tear off contact slip.

Containing the details of the wine

and website.

An example of a Cork being utilised

for marketing purposes.

The telephone number and website

have been used on this particular

cork.


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Examples of good and bad packaging

As I have explained in the above paragraphs, packaging and image is very important. I have chosen

two very different wines to examine. They may have similar ‘modern’ nuances but they are very

different.

The two wines are the 2008 Chateau Bauduc ‘Clos des Quinze’ from Bordeaux and the 2010 Pipa

Wines ‘Dame Vida’ from Rueda.

The Good

Chateau Bauduc in Bordeaux was bought by Gavin Quinney after a successful computer sales career.

They currently make 5 wines and are the house wines of Hotel du Vin, Gordon Ramsey and Rick Stein

restaurants. Chateau Bauduc have presented their wines impeccably. From the boxes the wines are

delivered in, to the labels themselves. They have a certain modern edge but are still trying to

encapsulate the tradition of the Bordelais Chateaux. In this front label, Gavin has covered all the

bases that the EU regulations deem necessary as he has the Vintage, QWPSR, QWPSR region and

Producer Name. He has the other necessary information, for example the Alcohol content and

Address on the back label.

However, Gavin and the team at Chateau Bauduc have included the Varietals on the front label. As I

have said earlier, this is a very recent practice. I think this way of communicating the varietals to the

Chateau Bauduc

consumer is excellent. I feel it also imparts a touch of education, letting the consumer know that

these are the principal grape varieties in this region. I find their font and use of lower case appealing

to the eye and the simple sketching of the Chateau quite charming. I have chosen this wine as I know

The producer

name.

The vintage

A modern

approach of

detailing the

varietals on the

front label.

QWPSR

QWPSR

region


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it well and use it every day. My customer’s are always impressed by the layout of the bottle and

obviously, by the taste! Many Bordeaux wines, in fact many Old World wines, can be very difficult to

understand where they come from. Chateau Bauduc does not have that issue. The wording is clear

and precise, the region is prominent. The back label offers food and wine suggestions along with a

description of the wine itself and it carries the website. It’s quite possible that Chateau Bauduc may

use QR codes in the future as they are very much at the fore front of social media, and I believe that

the codes could help them increase that part of their business.

(All pictures taken by C08010723 personally April 2012)

Chateau Bauduc

use the logo of

each establishment

they supply on the

label. Re-enforcing

quality for the

consumer.


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The Bad

The Dame Vida also has a very modern design on its label, but as I’m sure you can see, quite a

strange and somewhat disturbing logo. The region of Rueda had a rich history in winemaking;

however, it has had a resurgence in the past couple of years. The wines actually have a modern

style, as many tend to be unoaked, crisp, fruit driven and dry. Other whites in Spain will generally

have quite a lot of oak ageing, especially in Rioja. The Dame Vida has a good colour scheme on the

label, but I can’t understand why the company thought a diagram of a sperm, infiltrating an egg

would help sell their wine and appeal to the general public?!

In this example, the front label doesn’t include the varietal. I believe this is a mistake as many areas

of the Old World are struggling to find new drinkers due to the fact that understanding the wines is

so difficult. For a ‘modern’ wine and winery, I feel it’s the missing link between themselves and their

consumers. If the varietal isn’t leaping of the front label on the supermarket shelf, then the

consumer won’t pick it up.

Packaging of the World

Packaging of the world

It is so important for the consumer to understand what they are drinking. If this means spending a little bit more money on translation of text into English (for example) and using the varietals on the

Producer name

Wine name

QWSPR region

All areas of the EU

legislation have been

covered here but all script

is in Spanish. Once again,

not good for International

consumers.


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front label then so be it. The world of wine today is a jungle of styles, and regions and I feel it is extremely important to identify your consumer, and do whatever you can to appeal to them. Also, after spending quite some time surfing the web, it seems the Pipa Wines, the producer of Dame Vida, do not have a website. Once again, I find it difficult to believe that they don’t see the need to communicate that to their costumers and that it would be a crucial upgrade to their offering.


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References Calwineries Inc., 2012. Legal Requirements. [online] <http://www.calwineries.com/learn/wine-production/general-wine-production/legal-requirements> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Fielden, C., 2005. Exploring the world of wine and spirits”. Italy: Lego Spa Ofcom, 2011. A nation addicted to smartphones.[online] Available at: <http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/08/04/a-nation-addicted-to-smartphones/ > [Accessed 16 April 2012]. Oscar. 2012. Quevedo. Wordpress.com [blog] 14 April. Available at: <www.quevedoportwine.com> [Accessed 16 April 2012]. Wine Australia, 2012. Label Compliance: Overview / New Labels. [online] Available at: <http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=256> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Wines of Chile, 2009. Understanding a label. [online] Available at: <http://www.winesofchile.org/the-wines/understanding-a-label/> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Bibliography Austin, Ben., 2012. Bristol Based Wine Writer, Blogger, Sommelier and Consultant. Hoping to bring

Wine to the masses. WordPress.com, [blog] 4 March. Available at: <http://benaustin.co.uk>

[Accessed 15 April 2012].

BBC, 2012. EU and Australia toast wine labelling deal. [online] BBC News (Published 1 September 2010) Available at: <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11150057> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Chateau bauduc, 2012. chateau bauduc.[online] Available at : <http://bauduc.com> [Accessed 15

April 2012].

Corney & Barrow, 2009. EU Labelling Regulations. [online] Available at: <http://www.corneyandbarrow.com/s-108-eu-labelling-regulations.aspx> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Decanter, 2012. New EU wine regulations in force. [online] Available at: <http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/484367/new-eu-wine-regulations-in-force> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Dilanchian, 2012. Legal Anatomy of a wine label. [online] Dilanchian Lawyers and Consultants. Available at: <http://www.dilanchian.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=25&Itemid=57> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Grogger, 2012. G’rogger. [online] Available at: <http://grogger.tumblr.com/> [Accessed 15 April 2012].

http://www.calwineries.com/learn/wine-production/general-wine-production/legal-requirements

http://media.ofcom.org.uk/2011/08/04/a-nation-addicted-to-smartphones/

http://www.quevedoportwine.com/

http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=256

http://www.winesofchile.org/the-wines/understanding-a-label/

http://benaustin.co.uk/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-11150057

http://bauduc.com/

http://www.corneyandbarrow.com/s-108-eu-labelling-regulations.aspx

http://www.decanter.com/news/wine-news/484367/new-eu-wine-regulations-in-force

http://www.dilanchian.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=25&Itemid=57

http://www.dilanchian.com.au/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=25&Itemid=57

http://grogger.tumblr.com/


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Luzak, Joasia., 2012. “Organic Wine” EU Label. Blogger.com, [blog] 8 February. Available at: <http://recent-ecl.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/organic-wine-eu-label.html> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Stoel Rives, 2012. Wine Labelling Requirements . [online] Available at: <http://www.stoel.com/showarticle.aspx?Show=5639> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Wikipedia, 2012. Wine label. [online] Available at: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_label> [Accessed 15 April 2012]. Wine-searcher.com, 2012. Wine label information. [online] Available at: <http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-label.lml> [Accessed 15 April 2012].

http://recent-ecl.blogspot.co.uk/2012/02/organic-wine-eu-label.html

http://www.stoel.com/showarticle.aspx?Show=5639

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_label

http://www.wine-searcher.com/wine-label.lml

Documents

Unit 1 Candidate Assignment April 2012: The Presentation and