Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/877508
October 2017 WINES&VINES 29 WINEMAKING "Human beings tend to create metaphors that drive our behaviors, attitudes and preferences. With wine, people will argue what metaphor system is best." Is it the use of descriptive words as a metaphor, like cherry and raspberry vs. leather and chocolate to describe a Zinfandel? Numerical 100-point-scale metaphors have great power in certain segments. A 94-point wine is more desirable than an 86-pointer, yet these numerical metaphors tell us nothing about the wine's attributes, or why one might enjoy it. Is it sweet or dry, tannic or not, etc. But if it gets 94 points, it will sell for $50 or more, and if it gets only 86, well, good luck. Back to glass bottles. Hanni believes "seri- ous wine," "big wine" and "heavy wine" are simply additional metaphors. Serious, big, heavy wines go into serious, big, heavy bottles. The irony is that what we call "heavy" is inverse to reality. "Light" sweet wines have a higher specific gravity than "heavy" dry wines. Hanni is arguing that the product experi- ence must directly support the metaphor. If it does, then you are very likely to get a repeat purchase. He used an example of a winery whose wine was promised to be heavy and smooth. They followed through by using a very heavy bottle, combined with a "felt-like" smooth label. Then we moved on to labels and label copy, where the metaphor is articulated. Hanni be- lieves the wine industry sometimes uses meta- phors that border on delusion. Examples: To be worthy, wines must have a high numerical score from a leading reviewer; serious wine is dry and sweet wine is for "beginners;" or that Spaniards only drink dry Rioja, yet the national drink is actually sweet sangria—wine mixed with fresh fruit juice. Hanni believes brand owners must focus on their messages. Consumers "only see what you guide them to see," he notes. "No matter how you try to metaphorically explain the flavor, pairing, etc., you should think of what will make them take it home. Make it per- sonal." For example, not every consumer cares about origin and provenance, but a small sub-section cares a lot about those. Make sure you are marketing to them, be- cause "if you are marketing to those who don't care, you are spinning your wheels. They just don't care." Hanni warns against unwittingly telling people to avoid your wine with your back label copy. "Yes, your Riesling goes well with Asian and Thai food. What if the consumer isn't serv- ing that food tonight? Why limit a wine to picnic status, when you can enjoy it by the fireplace in the winter?" No matter how you try to metaphorically explain the flavor, pair- ing, etc., you should think of what will make a consumer pick the wine up and take it home with them, enjoy it with the food they love, and buy it again. Make it personal. Andis Wines: label copy for consumers Jenae Plasse is the COO for Andis Wines, in the Shenandoah Valley of Amador County, Calif., and has worked in the industry for 10 years. Andis' first wines were made in 2008 production has since grown to 7,000 cases priced between $19 and $29 per bottle with two reserve lots at $38 and $50. Andis uses a standard-weight bottle instead of heavy glass. Plasse explains, "We are not in a region known for $200 bottles." They feel it's important to match the varietal with the ex- pected bottle shape. They looked at light- weight "eco" bottles but found that these didn't matter to their consumers. "It's a challenge writing labels. There are trade-offs based on who will be reading it to make a buying decision." If it's sommeliers and restaurants, they tend to have affluent clientele, so they want to know about the vineyards, appellation, growing and wine- making techniques, whereas a consumer wants information about flavors, aromas and food pairing. Will the wine go with what they are cooking? To assist in the challenge of mar- keting to both groups, Andis produces sales materials for sommeliers, so the label can focus on the consumer. Andis Wines made for the tasting room or wine club only have purely consumer-oriented label copy. Broman Cellars: small lots, understated packaging Bob Broman is the owner and winemaker at Broman Cellars in Napa Valley. He runs it with daughter Lisa Broman Augustine, who man- ages sales and marketing. Broman has been making wines since 1973, having worked at Stag's Leap Wine Cellars and others before starting his own label in 1994. The winery currently produces 1,300 cases of four wines priced from $24 to $85 per bottle. About 40% is sold direct to consumers. Broman seeks "clean and simple elegance" for his packaging, putting the wines in 640- gram bottles from TricorBraun WinePak. He notes that the industry has standardized bottle shapes and colors based on traditions, e.g., Chardonnay always goes into dead-leaf green Burgundy bottles, so "the only thing you can do to differentiate is make it bigger and heavier." He has an interesting historical perspec- tive. Originally, Stag's Leap Cask 23 was bottled in a traditional straight-sided, punted claret bottle. The wine was sold based on quality and reputation. Heavy, tapered bottles were not common back then. Broman's price point is not that of a cult wine, so the bottle weight reflects that. At cult prices of $100 or more, the weight of glass may have cachet to it. Lisa Broman notes at that price point, "It's all about image, like the car you drive." The Bromans stay close to their DtC consumers and have heard appreciative comments from them for not using luxury-weight glass: that they can lift and carry a case from their office (where UPS ships it) to their car and then their home; that the bottles fit their wine rack or wine fridge. Broman's label copy and graphics continue the clean, simple ele- gance. The front label has the logo, brand and vintage. The back label repeats the front and adds the number of cases made to inform the con- sumer that these are handmade wines. An 800 number is added, but no blend descrip- Andis Wines uses marketing materials to supplement information printed on the bottle. Bob Broman sought to convey 'clean elegance' with the packaging of Broman Cellars wines.