The founders of Michael Lavelle Wines set out to change the way people of color experience wine and disrupt the overwhelmingly white wine industry.
The wine label goes a long way in making this happen. The brand has a few inches of space and a few seconds of time to catch a consumer’s eye, make them feel something, and have them make the decision to purchase the product.
When creating the label for the Iris Collection’s Rosé and Zinfandel, the Michael Lavelle team considered all design aspects— color, size, texture, finishings (foils, glass, varnishes, etc.), and more—to ensure the labels best represented the high-quality wine inside of the bottle.
Aaron Coad, Head of Creative at Michael Lavelle Wines, said, “As most customers purchase with their eyes, we wanted to be intentional about ensuring the full aesthetic of our bottles, including the label, was beautiful yet minimalistic in design to catch the attention of curious customers.”
Wine Labels as Works of Art
Michael Lavelle’s ambition was to develop a disruptive brand fused with art, education, and— most importantly—unmatched wine experiences. With art as one of Michael Lavelle Wines’ key brand pillars, it is intertwined into every aspect of the brand.
“Michael Lavelle Wines was created to fill a glaring void in fresh, culturally relevant wine craftsmanship offered and marketed toward millennials and minority audiences,” said Terrence Low, Head of House for Michael Lavelle Wines.
Therefore, the beautiful and minimalistic look of the label is meant to capture the attention of customers in store, to provide a high quality look when brought to your dinner table, and to drive wine drinkers to want to learn more about the brand.
It’s Bigger Than Wine
When customers do dive in further, historically excluded communities are present throughout the fabric of the Michael Lavelle brand—in the founders, marketing, imagery, and philanthropy partnerships that all represent and uplift the community.
“As young Black negociants, we have intentionally partnered only with small batch wineries that focus on preserving the integrity of the wine ensuring every glass of Michael Lavelle is consistently highly quality, premium wine,” said Low. “This intentionality is also pulled through for the outside of the bottle. We believe every detail—from the most minute to the largest—represents our brand. Which is why it’s important for us to ensure a high quality label and make decisions like removing the foil capsule to ensure a more sustainable bottle.”
Partnering With Labeltronix (an AWT Company)
The Michael Lavelle team worked with the experts at Labeltronix for label printing for the Iris Collection.
“We had a great experience partnering with Labeltronix,” said Coad. “We have appreciated their team’s timely suggestions and feedback on label possibilities for papers, texture, backings, and finishing options, which helped us lock in on the current labels.”
Look for Michael Lavelle wines in retailers in Illinois, Florida, New York, California, District of Columbia, Maryland, Texas, Wisconsin, Virginia, and Georgia. Or find options for online purchasing.
