Biles Hendry has created a new brand identity and packaging for UK wine importer and producer Boutinot's trio of Riojas, called Vega del Rayo. The agency was tasked with taking Boutinot's contemporary-style Rioja - made with grapes from the Carlos Serres vineyard in Haro - and giving it a fresh, ownable look to capture the provenance of the region, yet stand out from a busy sea of wines on shelf.
The open landscape of the Rioja region is well known for its changeable climate and dramatic thunder storms. The team at Biles Hendry discovered that these regular lightning strikes discharge nitrogen into the soil, thus fertilising it.
This connection between the weather and the wine generated the name Vega del Rayo (which translates roughly as open plains and lightning strikes) and the 'double take' design idea, depicting both the lightning fork and the vine root. The resulting label design reflects the quality of the product and signals a break from the traditional Rioja wine language of its direct competition.
"We created an acute graphic idea: beautifully crafted and founded in a product truth," explained Anthony Biles, Biles Hendry's Founder and Creative Director. "It hits that sweet spot between the contemporary and the traditional, appeals to the discerning modern drinker and stands out on a busy fixture."
The different bottleneck and label designs, which denote the 'good' (Tempranillo), 'better' (Vendimia Seleccionada) and 'best' (Reserva) versions in the trio, employ subtle design variations to express the tiered price points. As the purchaser scales the range, they find more gold detailing and, when they reach the Reserva, the label is significantly smaller with decorative edging - all premium cues used to demonstrate an increase in product quality.
