WineGB Classic Method Hallmark

Agency: The Collaborators
Director: Alex Ririe
Creative Director: Mary Lewis
Design Execution: Samuel Jones
Location: United Kingdom
Project Type: Produced
Client: WineGB
Product Launch Location: Global
Packaging Contents: Wine
Packaging Substrate / Materials: Various
Printing Process: Various

The Collaborators DEVELOPS QUALITY ASSURANCE MARK FOR UK’S FLAGSHIP LUXURY WINES

[Bristol, UK, 21 October 2020] Food and drink branding specialists, The Collaborators have designed a new quality assurance mark for English and Welsh Classic Method sparkling wine.

Working with Master of Wine, Sarah Abbott and Wines of Great Britain (WineGB) – the national association for the English and Welsh wine industry, the brief was to clearly differentiate classic method as the luxury flagship sparkling wine style of Great Britain. It is part of a wider campaign to establish English & Welsh classic method sparkling wine as one of the great wines of the world.

With an influx of different sparkling wine styles coming on to the market, the WineGB team wanted to create a symbol that could convey the highest levels of craft and quality, exuding understated British luxury whilst alluding to its deeper meaning. Importantly, it had to work across a host of touch points, at different scales, digitally, in 2D and 3D. The ambition being that it will become a widely recognised signifier of quality, adopted by producers, journalists and retailers alike.

Alex Ririe, Director at The Collaborators said, “We knew we had to elevate the classic method mark above usual wine association symbols, which tend to be very literal. Instead we looked to the world of luxury exploring more evocative and abstract design solutions to communicate the unique qualities of English and Welsh classic method.”

She continued, “We had a host of start points: the UK’s knife-edge cool climate, our distinctive landscape, pioneering producers and the fresh elegance of the wines themselves.”

The final hallmark design is an abstract representation of quintessential rolling British countryside and the intersection of craft, time, climate and soils. The understated luxe colour palette evokes spring growth and chalk and flint soils.

Creative Director at The Collaborators, Mary Lewis said, “Practically speaking, the mark has to work alongside many different styles of producer branding, as well as being able to stand alone across a variety of touch points. It was critical to create something that could evoke so much, whilst remaining incredibly simple and timeless. We wanted it to feel as though it’s always been.”

Simon Robinson, WineGB Chairman added, “This campaign has set us on the path to ensure that our classic method wines are more positively recognised among the finest wine regions of the world.”

The Classic Method Hallmark was launched last week (15.10.20) and has already been adopted by leading producers including Hush Heath, Ridgeview, Gusbourne Estate and Hattingley Valley, as well as smaller estates such as Simpsons, Busi-Jacobsohn and Digby Fine English.

What’s Unique?
With an influx of different sparkling wine styles coming on to the market, the WineGB team wanted to create a symbol that could convey the highest levels of craft and quality, exuding understated British luxury whilst alluding to its deeper meaning. Importantly, it had to work across a host of touch points, at different scales, digitally, in 2D and 3D. The ambition being that it will become a widely recognised signifier of quality, adopted by producers, journalists and retailers alike.