Ontario wine maker Chateau des Charmes has a new look thanks to Toronto design shop Fish Out Of Water.
The 30-year-old Niagara winery hired the design company to update its look for younger consumers.
“They have a loyal brand base of people who are more established,” said Rebecca Hamilton, vice-president of client services at Fish Out Of Water. “When you looked at the [old] label, it was very French. It had Gothic type, very heavy and black labelling, very daunting in a way.”
The new label incorporates the old label’s image of the winery’s Niagara chateau, but downplays its presence with lighter surrounding colours.
“We rebranded them in a way that was much more approachable, but kept their heritage. We didn’t want to walk away from all they had done before,” Hamilton said.
The new brand identity has so far appeared on the brand’s Sauvignon Gris, Cabernet Merlot and Brut wines. Point-of-purchase materials with the new identity will soon appear at the LCBO as well.
New labelling also includes a quick response or “QR” code, which consumers can photograph with a QR-enabled mobile phone to be instantly redirected to a microsite for that specific wine.
The microsite offers meal pairings, tasting notes, an invitation to visit the winery and a link to Chateau des Charmes’ main website, which is currently being redesigned.
While some international wines have put QR codes on their labels, Hamilton believes Chateau des Charmes is the first Canadian winery to do so.
Software for making mobile phones QR-enabled is available on the company website.
