CHURCH AND STATE WINERY’S PERSONALITY-PACKED BRAND.
THE STORY BEHIND THE LABEL
Whether it's Church and State's classy Marsanne or the Lost Inhibitions “Aren’t You a Ray of F***ing sunshine” Merlot, it’s impossible to deny Church and State leaves the talking to their wines. When their new Ops Manager came calling back in 2019, looking for options for their higher tier wine labels, we were ready to leap into action.
“Summit Labels’ customer service is above and beyond; their staff held us by the hand and took us through what we wanted to achieve on the bottle.” ”
Caroline Lachapelle Church and State - Operational Manager
THE BRIEF
'Church and State' stands for 'Freedom of Belief'. Church and State (the winery) adapted this phrase into the building blocks of brands that let their wines “speak for themselves”! It was up to us (and the fabulous designers at Super Deluxe) to help capture that sense of freedom and voice in their labels.
Church and State had three main objectives with their labels:
- Create high tier labels that let the wine speak for itself
- Find a solution that would cause audiences to ‘lose their inhibitions’
- Deliver multi-layered, multi-labelled imagery for both brand and sub-brand, while respecting the hard bottling dates of the wine industry.
THE APPROACH
Church and State came looking for a partner to help them say something with their bottles, someone to step up to the plate and represent their wines properly. Built on their meticulous wine-making process, driven by a passion to make wines that capture a sense of place drawing from the terroir to showcase a sense of character, depth and the elegance of their land. A vision like that, a meticulous wine, deserves meticulous labels.
So our team of specialist got to work. Hand-in-hand with their executive team, we grabbed a bottle (gotta get to know the product!) and went to work. Sending our samples in record time, and doing our thing too, coincidentally, save them a ton of money. Embracing that sense of elegance and depth we focused on clean lines and high-end papers. Combining their desire for elegance with a need for impact on the shelves, we built a custom-shaped die that accentuated the logo while seamlessly integrating it with the bottle. Pushing the brand front and center to do the talking. Next up, to highlight the vineyard designation and emphasize brand authenticity, we printed the Church and State seal with a high-build tactile varnish, literally taking the label to another level.
Let the wines speak for themselves right? No need to push the envelope here, the rigorous vinification process and flavour this brand is known for more than delivers the impact.
THE DETAILS OF LOST INHIBITIONS
“We asked ourselves: what would be possible if we lost all of our inhibitions, if we checked any pre-conceived notions at the door, and set out to create a truly spectacular wine that flooded all of the senses? The result? A sub-brand focused on “un-censored wines, exuding a refreshingly honest expression of the Okanagan Valley.”
Caroline Lachapelle - Operations Manager of Church and State Winery
Church and State wines speak for themselves, that goes for their sub-brand Lost Inhibitions too. Working with intense fruit flavours, soft tannins and velvety mouthfeel the Lost Inhibitions reds, whites, and roses simply needed to be given a chance on the shelves. An opportunity for audiences to discover the rigorous vinification process and flavour this brand hinges on.
So, we harnessed the power of variable content. Printing every label with a different phrase ranging from uplifting to downright sassy to fit any mood or occasion. We allowed Church and State to market to a wide collection of audiences through just four wine variations. Celebrating an anniversary? A bottle of Merlot exclaiming ‘Happy F***ing Anniversary’ should do the trick. Or maybe you’re calling it quits after a long day––or no day at all, no judgements here––why not try the ‘No Adulting Today’ chardonnay?
You get the point. These Lost Inhibitions labels didn’t just accompany the wine; they gave each a personality. Something emotional, inspirational, aspirational for audiences to relate to. A way for audiences to make that ‘this is something special’ connection every brand looks for, a way to give those sexy full-flavoured wines a chance to work their magic.
THE RESULTS
A sexy product that crosses lines and grabs attention on the shelves. A creative solution that ended up in over 50% savings on an exciting and unique line that pumped up the volume on this wine (and this brand) by just as much. One big personality delivered.
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