Quirky labels to appeal to new wine drinkers

Crown Cellars, the specialist wine and spirits division of Carlsberg UK, has launched a range of on-trade exclusive, own label wines to appeal to new wine consumers.

Box of Budgies, a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, Clockwork Raven, a Chilean Merlot and an Argentinian Malbec called Bone Orchard, all have labels as quirky and innovative as their names and are as far removed as possible from traditional wine packaging. Continuing with the quirky theme, a further new collection, Bad Eye Deer, has been developed including a French Sauvignon Blanc, an Australian Shiraz Cabernet and a Zinfandel Rosé from the US.

Created by a team of experts including wine buyer Louise Boddington, and Crown Cellars’ MW Jonathan Pedley, the collection is aimed at consumers who are looking for something a bit different and those that may have been put off wine in the past due to stuffy and confusing wine labels and language.  

Pedley says: “Our aim with these new wines is to bring new consumers in to wine and to encourage current wine consumers to trial new grape varieties, and new flavours through fun, appealing, contemporary packaging. The names and labels are designed to create stand out and compete not only with other wines but also other categories such as craft beer and cider who have done a fantastic job in bringing new consumers in with appealing language and marketing.”

The wines are descibed as follows:

Box of Budgies: This chirpy Sauvignon Blanc is fresh and juicy with plenty of pear, zingy kiwifruit and a touch of sage on the finish. When all is right with the world, a New Zealander might say: “Everything’s a box of budgies.”

Clockwork Raven: When life is winding you up, make time for the Clockwork Raven. Inspired by the birds who will always find the ripest grapes, this Merlot is smooth and approachable, with dark plummy fruit notes.

Bone Orchard: The Malbec grape is known for the deeply coloured wine it produces. Definitely on the darker side, this full-bodied wine has great (bone) structure and ripe forest fruit flavours, with a touch of spice.

Bad Eye Deer: The stag crept stealthily through the heather, approaching his ultimate goal. A cache of wine so wonderful and sumptuous he would cross many miles to get his hooves on it, and there it was, perched upon the mountain top. In his headlong dash to grab it he ran straight into a lurking Scots Pine, “Take that Danger Horse!” yelled the tree as our hero fell to the ground clutching his wounded eye. Leaping without looking may have proved to be a Bad Eye Deer but the wine would be his in the end!

21 April 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor