Cline Cellars

Agency: Auston Design Group
Printing: CCL Label
Project Type: Produced, Commercial Work
Client: Cline Cellars
Location: Emeryville, CA, US

A well-established and trusted brand, Cline Cellars came to Auston Design Group for a redesign of their packaging system and overall brand experience. There was plenty to work with — a recognizable brandmark, a loyal following, a well-known location, and numerous wines. But it also featured the challenge of differentiating four very different tiers of wines under one unified brand.

Our update brought together previous brand elements with new elements to help promote that Cline is a family-owned, Sonoma County winery. We developed a brand system to distinguish the four tiers — while still allowing them to compete within their specific categories and price points. Throughout the design process we worked closely with the Cline family and marketing team to make sure we accurately represented the personality of the brand and the winery.

California Classics
Cline’s California Classics received a redesign that positioned it as a serious, yet humble and approachable Sonoma County wine brand. Large brand name, color and the equity of their previous large script C were folded into the design. Support copy tells the story of Cline’s sustainable farming practices and family-owned history.

Ancient Vines
This mid-tier crowd favorite is an obvious brand extension of the California Classics tier. Custom stamps depict aspects of the family’s history. A warm, earthy color palette lends a hand-crafted feel that helps communicate the fact that these wines are made with 100-year old vines.

Sonoma County
A higher-end line, sold primarily through the tasting-room and wine club, the Sonoma County tier was was inspired by many of the European varietals that grace this tier. We took a restrained approach to this design, utilizing classic French design cues like white space, beveled corners, Bordeaux red & Burgundy yellow capsules, along with high-quality bottles.

Single Vineyard
Cline’s single vineyard series is also primarily sold through the tasting room and wine club. Our approach was to present the brand in the classic refined look of a well established, heritage brand; be it European or Californian. Textured paper, scalloped corners, elegant type layout, a debossed seal, and lots of white space position the Single Vineyard tier as a solid and trustworthy luxury product.

The response from the trade and consumers has been overwhelmingly positive. And thus far, the sales back it up. Distributors are reporting an increase in sales to retailers by almost 10 percent.

Thank you to CCL Label, of Sonoma, CA, for another great job of printing, and whose expertise helped deliver these perfectly printed labels on their rocking state of the art Gallus RCS 430 press.