He said he prefers traditional, offset lithography printing, which is a post-World War II technology that involves the transfer of images frommetal plates onto a large paper roll. The advent of digital printing in the 1990s changed the business. “It’s almost as good as lithography and is limitless on the colors you can create,” he said. “It’s great for smaller wineries with shorter runs, smaller production.” Although it is often difficult to stand out, Auston said some wine regions have a definite look. Napa wines tend to be set apart by a polished, white-label design, whereas Sonoma wines try to not look too pretentious, and foothill wineries often prefer a look that is more earnest, humble and hardworking, he said. “If you’re a huge brand, simple and clean usually is the way to go because it speaks to the broadest audience,” Auston said. “For the small or medium brand, you have to speak to a niche.” Appealing tomillennials Clarksburg-based Bogle Vineyards tries to attract all wine buyers, Auston said, although the company does focus on millennials, offering brands such as Juggernaut with a beast on the bottle.
“A juggernaut is an unstoppable force, and this is a big, juicy wine. We call that creature the beast,” Auston said. “I’m really proud of that Bogle label because of how it helped grow that brand.” According to Auston, nine of 10 clients want to capture more millennial customers, a market segment that looks for authenticity. “It is inf inite what a label can look l ike, so to attract millennials, we might do a very technical- looking label that includes growing condit ions, harvest times, brix at harvest; we call it ‘geekifying’ the label,” Auston said. “(Millennials) want to know that there are real people behind the brand, and they generally prefer to support local or smaller businesses and sustainable and organic.” Some wine labels targeted at millennials can be very minimalist, and there is a current trend of wines with a vintage look. “A label I’m doing now is very vintage, so pre- Prohibition. It’s got a lot of scrolls and pen f lourishes with little curlicues. There’s a backstory about rats with this brand and so we’re making some of the scrolls into stylized rats,” Auston said. “Millennials are always exploring, looking for the next cool thing
Labels tell a winery’s story in many ways.
Clockwise from right: Dry Creek
Vineyard embraces a nautical theme in two labels; stamped
leather links the Brasas family’s
culture; Juggernaut’s “beast” conveys the wine’s boldness; and Lava Cap showcases the winery’s locale.
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