Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/1031957
PACKAGING INTERVIEW October 2018 WINES&VINES 59 red blend, we aim to share consistency in spite of changing vintages. The label, with its rich coloration and the inkjet application, gives both a colorful design as well as a textural quality to the label that we think delivers the message of quality and unconventionality. Q The label for Two Range is particularly distinctive. How did your team come up with that? Cahill: Released in 2016, Two Range Red Wine is one of our newest brands and has been quite well-received. The idea was to present a brand that made Napa Valley accessible, both in price and image. Our winemaking team and marketing director conceived of the idea and then worked with our graphic designer to produce a label that embraced both the spirit of wine blending and the premier Napa Valley locations from which we source the grapes. The name and the imagery of the label are derived from Napa Valley's two mountain ranges -- the Vaca and the Mayacamas. Retail- ing for around $20, Two Range Red Blend is a brand that is less formal than our wines from Rutherford Ranch, and priced about $10 less than our Rutherford Ranch Cabernet. Our goal is to welcome a new wine drinker to this ap- pellation's wines at a more accessible price point. The style of the wine balances accessibil- ity with a slightly more structured style than our other red blends in our portfolio. I like to say it's a red blend with backbone. Q With your labels, you're using alterna- tives to basic paper labels on some of your brands, such as texture and silk screening. How do you decide when that's appropriate, and what challenges do these approaches present for the actual mechan- ics of bottling and labeling the wine? Cahill: There are several factors we consider in selecting a label and bottle. Cost is a big factor. Another is messaging. The third is appeal and shelf visibility. The fourth is product differentia- tion. This is too important a decision for one person. We have group meetings, which include marketing, sales and production, to review and then set up trials to try to avoid bottling-line mishaps such as blistering or scuffing. We also do a lot of testing in advance to create labels that resist scuffing, especially for our silk-screened labels. For example, with our Predator brand from Lodi, we have a silk- screened label with a delicate background texture as well as a bold red icon. In advance, we had to do a lot of testing with the silk screener to test different inks and materials of the silk screening. What's more, we realized that what was also contributing to the scuffing problem in the case of Predator was the interior dividers of the case shipper. In response, we changed the divider to a smoother material and have been able to deliver the wines to market in good shape. While higher-quality paper labels may avoid this problem, it may sometimes occur anyway. The best remedy is to have a bottling-line man- ager who keeps equipment in good shape and is always checking during the course of a run to make sure the line is operating as anticipated. Q What does the bottle – its shape, weight, etc. – convey about a brand? Cahill: For many consumers, the perceived value of a wine is at least partially related to the label design and the glass container. For whatever reason, consumers generally associ- ate heavier bottles with higher quality. Winer- ies package their products in heavier glass as a way to message that the product inside is not "vin ordinaire." It says, "I can be proud to share this with friends." A lighter bottle may be cheaper and more economical to ship, but con- sumers want substance when it comes to their wine purchases. Bottle shape is also an important clue for consumers. For our Scott Family Estate wines, we selected a handsome Burgundian-style bot- tle. Similarly, for our Rutherford Ranch Cabernet