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October 2015 WINES&VINES 43 BOTTLES &LABELS A fter sealing the deal to sell his Meiomi brand to Constellation Wines for $315 million, Joe Wag- ner became the wine industry's newest "it boy." The fifth-gener- ation Napa Valley winemaker opened the second annual Wines & Vines Pack- aging Conference in Napa on Aug. 19, giving the keynote address. The 33-year-old Wagner described his fam- ily's single-vineyard Pinot Noir label Belle Glos as the leading luxury Pinot Noir in the United States, thanks in part to a distinctive, instantly recognizable package. Wagner recounted the evolution of the Belle Glos package for confer- ence attendees. What started as a simple, red wax seal has grown to envelop the top half of Belle Glos' bottle in scarlet wax. "I think we are the largest consumer of wax in the wine industry," he told the audience. Applying wax dips is normally an arduous task performed by hand, but Wagner commis- sioned an Italian manufacturer to develop an automated system with the goals of safety and consistency. He passed around samples of a proprietary tear tab, which simplifies remov- ing the cork without disrupting the visual flow of wax. Along with the "Sideways" effect that helped propel Pinot Noir sales starting in 2004, he believes the package helped build recogni- tion of the Belle Glos brand. The package now has a trade-dress trademark on its wax dipping, and a patent is pending, Wagner said. "People are always trying to steal a good idea." Wagner started his own company in 2014, Copper Cane Wine & Provisions, and remains involved in The Wagner Family of Wine as well. He enumerated what he looks for in a wine package: Exclusivity: Make it something special. Belle Glos bottles are not quite the tra- ditional Burgundy shape. Individuality: Make the package one of a kind. Tradition: Wine buyers are accustomed to standard shapes. Get too far off the standard, and people lose interest. Tell a story: Package for your purpose. Are you selling on- or off-premise? This can make a big difference in sales. Building Value with Wine Packaging Meiomi founder and top designers discuss innovative packaging with an impact By Jane Firstenfeld KEY POINTS The founder of the fast-growing Meiomi wine brand, Joe Wagner, was the keynote speaker at the second annual Wines & Vines Packaging Conference. Wagner detailed design decisions that have helped his family's brands—and now his own brands—to grow, including Belle Glos, Silver, Meiomi and Beran. A panel of wine package designers showed and described advances in packaging materi- als that have allowed design innovations. WINES & VINES PACKAGING COMPETITION T hose attending the Wines & Vines Packaging Confer- ence on Aug. 19 in Napa, Calif., were invited to vote in the inaugural Wines & Vines Packaging Competition. Attend- ees selected two winners from 24 entries submitted by some of the 39 companies exhibiting at the event to win the Best Overall Package and Most Innovative Packaging awards. Wines & Vines art director Barbara Gel- fand Summer presented the Most Innovative Packaging award to Unionpack, which entered the package for St. Supéry Estate Vineyards & Winery's estate brandy. The award for Best Overall Package went to Sara Nelson of Sara Nelson Design for Sunshine Valley Vineyards' 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon. BEST OVERALL PACKAGE 2015 Sunshine Valley Vineyards 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, Calif. Anthony Shen, general manager of Sunshine Valley Vineyards: "The weight, simple gold layout and wax finish had to convince our foreign consumers that the winemaking is executed with Joe Wagner credits smart packaging decisions for piquing consumer interest. —continues on page 44