Stripping back and cleaning up: Bride Valley taps into minimalistic wine design trend

04 Feb 2019 --- English sparkling wine producer Bride Valley has released its latest variant – a Cremant – in a “stripped back” minimalistic theme designed to differentiate the product in an increasingly “saturated wine market.” When crafting the original visual identity, design agency Lewis Moberly introduced a three-toned label around the neck of each bottle that “subliminally represents” the layers of the rich soil that gives the Bride Valley range its refined flavor.

“Bride Valley is all about the terroir – the location of the place – so we built the layers of the valley and feeling of this landscape into the brand mark. It’s very much about provenance which is always so important in champagnes and sparkling wines,” Mary Lewis, Creative Director, Lewis Moberly, tells PackagingInsights.

“The result is a clean, contemporary design showing integrity and modesty, marking Bride Valley as a serious proposition and contender in the sector.”

“The design is honest and authentic, giving this young brand a sense of credibility in an emerging market (British sparkling wine). They are pioneers and needed a striking, modern packaging design to reflect this,” Lewis adds.

The wine industry is experiencing a trend towards minimalistic packaging and the trend looks set to stay, according to Lewis.

“Many wine brands are reacting to the wealth of competition in a now very saturated market place by stripping back and cleaning up. To stand out on the shelf in today’s world is to be uncluttered and considered,” she continues.

“Experimentation with fonts is also a growing trend. Wine brands are becoming a little braver by breaking away from the constraints of a category known for its strict design codes by using more unexpected and hand-drawn typography,” Lewis adds.

Similarly, the expanding craft beer market is continuing to experiment in minimalistic designs. For example, Dutch craft beer brand Brouwerij Homeland Amsterdam has collaborated with Ball to create a unique, blank can design for its popular spelt beer. The minimalist cans feature no printing or messaging, other than the name, date and alcohol percentage on the bottom of the can.

At the same time, sustainability remains at the forefront of packaging design, Lewis explains. “Design discussions with clients always bear in mind sustainable material choices and endeavor to not over-package,” she says.

PackagingInsights recently identified sustainability as the dominant trend across the packaging industry for 2019.

In a recent interview with PackagingInsights, packaging design expert Marc Pruijssers explained that the most aesthetically-pleasing design choice is not always the most commercially effective and that a more scientific approach to packaging design is required.

Champagne chalk
Owned by acclaimed wine expert Steven Spurrier and his wife Bella, Bride Valley is set in the Dorset countryside and now has 10 hectares of vineyard under cultivation, producing a range of sparkling English fine wines.

Lewis Moberly created the brand identity for Bride Valley and packaging design for its debut wines – Blanc de Blancs, Brut Reserve and Rose Bella – in 2013, which had been very well received by both critics and consumers, the company says.

Lewis Moberly has now designed a Cremant to sit alongside the current range – slightly less sparkling with fine bubbles and a creamy finish. The neck foil for the Cremant is finished in soft yellow.

A contemporary monogram was also created that reflects the form of the valley in a die-cut shape, with a carefully crafted typography to bring elegance to the presentation. Each label also carries the Spurrier Coat of Arms as a watermark on the paper.

The vineyard lies on the Jurassic coast of the South of England. Its south-facing slopes sit in the bowl of a 200-acre farm, with soils that share the same chalk as those found in the Champagne region of France.

By Joshua Poole, with additional reporting from Laxmi Haigh