Wine label design lessons from history

Winemaking is an industry with a long and storied history. Lessons from the past clearly shape the look and feel of bottles and labels at age-old vineyards, and they can also act as inspiration for new vintners. Whether by taking the best ideas from history or reacting against the trends of years gone by, modern winemakers can engage with what has come before and create labels that will convince shoppers to take a chance on their products.

Decades of symbolism
Food and drink publication Imbibe recently used the history of Chateau Mouton Rothschild's wine label designs to illustrate several exciting ideas presented during the top vineyard's history, which spans more than 90 years. Some of the highlighted pieces show the ways in which designers evoke the feeling created by a wine while using a minimal amount of visual information. For instance, a 1970 Marc Chagall design combined symbols of nature's bounty with a palate and style that promised a naive joy and optimism.

Imbibe also pointed out the surreal Joan Miro design used by the vineyard one year earlier in 1969. Despite the lack of many recognizable forms on the label, people's eyes are likely to linger on the picture for a long time. In the end, open-ended imagery can be just as compelling as a clear picture with an obvious meaning, provided the art is of sufficient quality. In the case of the Miro design, the colors tie the mostly abstract forms into the vineyard's aesthetic identity.

Years of design
Of course, assuming that a classic design will just fall into place is probably a step too far for vineyards today. Creating something that will stand the test of time is a process worth putting time and effort into. The Sacramento Bee, combing through years of interviews with vintners and other wine-industry leaders, found a 1979 interview in which Silver Oak Cellars' Bonny Meyer pointed out that her quest to find an appropriate label spanned three years. Two vintages had been bottled before a lasting design appeared.

Focus on quality
Once a vintner does come up with a great label design, whether using cues from the past or delving deep into the vineyard's own identity, it's time to physically label the bottles. If this step goes wrong, with inferior printing or label application, the finished product can look disappointing, failing to live up to the promise from the design process. High-quality in-house label printers and applicators can prevent this kind of letdown.

Check out Optimedia's U.S. site or Canadian page for label printing options.