Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/45785
MANAGEMENT EAST COAST WATCH Are You in Label elect the best possible vine- yard site? Check. Plant vines appropriate to the site? Done. Invest in the best affordable winery equipment and keep it meticulously clean? OK. Make excellent wines? Been there, done that. Sell the wines? Yikes! For all too many vintners, getting people to buy their wine turns out to be the most challenging part of the business – and of course sell- ing the product is what ultimately determines the success or failure of any company. A veritable witch's brew of ingredients is involved in turning wine into a profit-making product, with innumerable stra- tegic decisions to be made along the way. Among the most criti- cal subjects to be considered, and one that, unfortunately, is often not given enough serious thought by the winery, is bottle labels. Many years ago, when I was a working artist, I designed a proto- type label for a winemaker friend in California. As a tribute to his Greek heritage, the graphics included an image of a toga-clad man rais- ing a wine glass to his lips. Alas, MARGUERITE THOMAS La-La Land? Keep your label fresh and informative the rules for wine label imagery were more restrictive than they are today, and the design was rejected by the federal regulatory agency (at that time the Bureau of Alco- hol, Tobacco and Firearms). The reason given for the rejection was that the smiling man in the toga made drinking wine look like fun. I've been fascinated by labels on wine bottles ever since. If you own a winery, you should be, too. Yes, I know we aren't supposed to judge a book by its cover or buy a wine for its label. But unless your business plan precludes selling wine to anyone other than highly informed and experienced consum- ers, you'd be well advised to con- sider the label carefully. Twenty years ago, most winery owners in the eastern United States didn't have to think much about their labels, since almost all wines pro- duced here were sold out of the tasting room. Furthermore, with only a handful of wineries in each eastern state, there was little com- petition from other brands. Now, however, the picture is very differ- ent. Eastern wines are competing not only with wines from California, but all over the world; a winery isn't SHORT COURSE Eastern vintners should give serious thought to the appearance of their labels. The label can be the first contact a customer has with you, so make a good first impression. Imagery can invoke brand recognition and loyalty. Consumer tastes and trends change, and most wine labels need to keep pace. WWW.VWM-ONLINE.COM Marguerite Thomas is a Baltimore-based journalist and photographer who contributes wine-related articles to several national and international publications. She is the author of the books "Wineries of the Eastern States" and "Visiting East Coast Wineries." doing itself any favors by presenting an unprofessional or outdated label. MAKING A FIRST IMPRESSION Savvy vintners recognize that their label is often the first point of contact between the customer and the wine. "The label is the first impression a consumer has with our company, so it's a critical part of what we do," said Tom Sharko, president of New Jersey's Alba Vineyard. "It's the introduction to what we are all about." Alba Vineyard's label was designed to make a good first impression with cus- tomers. If you doubt the difference a good label can make, ask any suc- cessful retailer. I recently read a blog post by Astor Wines & Spirits, one of Manhattan's most success- ful retail wine and spirits stores. The blog underscored the fact that many consumers will bypass an excellent bottle of wine that lacks an attention-grabbing label. "The NOV - DEC 2011 VINEYARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT 29