The challenge
When Gibbston Highgate Estate decided to move from being a vineyard that sells it’s grapes onto other winegrowers to producing their own wine and creating their own boutique wine label, they knew they needed a brand that would stand out, a brand that would sell their wines in a competitive and highly saturated wine industry. With so much competition in the marketplace, just designing a lovely label no longer ensures that your wine is visible on the shelf. Nor in this instance was it building the corporate brand recognition.
This boutique winery, with a boutique budget, needed to stand out in the international marketplace and make a name for itself in an extremely cluttered industry.
The solution
We needed to sell the story of the wine. In interviewing winery owners, Jack and Swava Pociecha, what become blatantly apparent was the couple’s passion for their vineyard and the making of their wines. As their story unfolded, so too did the story of their wines, encompassing their life’s vision and their dreams. It is their story that became the brand, their love for a lifelong dream and the years of hard work and determination in realising it, which gave birth to the brand.
Branded to make the wines ‘speak’ to people, each with their own unique name and story; the SoulTaker series is designed to ‘leap’ off the shelves and menus, creating a bridge and an emotional connection, capture attention and create interest.
Compellingly behind each wine’s catchy name is the heartfelt story, telling a couple’s passion for growing and making wine in the most Southern wine-growing district in the world.
- SoulTaker Pinot Noir reflects Jack’s dream to make fine Pinot Noir in the Gibbston Valley and how it captured his soul.
- HeartBreaker Chardonnay explains the toils of growing chardonnay grapes in the Gibbston Valley, the grapes flourish in a good season but suffer terribly in cold snaps and can break a winemaker’s heart.
- DreamMaker Pinot Gris is a dream to grow, and a dream to make wine with. The style of wine these grapes make is only limited by the winemaker’s imagination.
Jack and Swava’s dream is alive and well, their wines have won numerous awards over the past few years. Their passion for their product has seen the SoulTaker Pinot Noir nominated as a finalist in the Wine State Australia 2008 awards and a trophy recipient for best Pinot Noir in the 2008 Sydney IWC amongst many others awards. You can sample their wine in any good supermarket or Air New Zealand Koru Club. The series is sold online at http://www.gibbstonhighgate.co.nz/
Services provided
- Brand positioning
- Brand development
- Logo and wine name development
- Wine labels
- Website construction
- Marketing material
- Analysis of international markets and distribution channels
For more information visit http://www.gibbstonhighgate.co.nz/