Branding + artwork for Single Cloud Vineyard
Single Cloud Vineyard needed a wine label for their very first publicly sold bottles of natural wine.
The owner, Ben, gave me a tour of his vineyard (impeccably manicured vines on a single acre of land), a hefty sampling of his fine wine, and a convincing education on the many merits of natural wine.
A lot of people (myself included) are thoughtful about what they consume — questioning GMOs and seeking out organic produce. But these same people (myself included) never once question what’s in the wine they so merrily guzzle down.
Wine connoisseurs will pay top dollar for a fine bottle of wine. What they aren’t thinking about is the commercial yeast and other stuff (even coloring!) added to each bottle to ensure the consistent taste and appearance that’s expected year after year.
Natural wine producers don’t add anything — it’s just the grapes. All yeast is produced naturally, and each batch will and should taste slightly different as a result of remaining pure and untampered with. The surprise is not only expected, but welcomed. You can usually see the natural particles piled up at the bottom of the bottle, and the wine has a bit of a Kombucha kick to it.
Going above and beyond, Ben invited me — plus some friends who were equally excited to wake up at 4:30am — to partake in the authentic grape picking and stomping experience (what a client!) at a neighboring vineyard to make sure I had a thorough understanding not just of the process, but also of the overall culture. Also, because it’s fun.
PSA: Be on the lookout for Lori Miller’s latest documentary Living Wine, which does a far better job of explaining the organic wine movement (also featuring Single Cloud!).
Ben described the wine as best consumed chilled on a hot day over a casual lunch and lively conversation. He wanted the branding to reflect this casual and comfortable scene.
Ben wanted to avoid appearing like a typical wine brand: nothing regal, pretentious, or traditional. Ben’s wine is small batch (just 1 acre of land!) and produced with care, delicacy, love, and respect for the land. We didn’t want the production to feel more large-scale than it was, and hoped to embrace the passion and care that goes into selecting each individual grape.
Ben didn’t want anything that felt loud, tacky, or for lack of a better word, annoying. He wanted wine purchasers to see the bottle on the shelf and immediately recognize this was not a hoity toity wine, but also that it wasn’t slapped together carelessly. It doesn’t take itself too seriously, but it’s made of the highest quality and standards.
Ben wanted the wine to feel and look different, and special. In touring Ben’s MCM home, with its art-filled walls and carefully curated furniture, it was immediately obvious that he and his family value art and design. But it was also a helpful crash course in understanding his aesthetic preferences.
California craftsmanship. Loose hand-drawn and hand-written feel.
