Inniskillin entwines its roots in a new contemporary label

CANADA'S FIRST ESTATE WINERY UNVEILS A CONTEMPORARY NEW LABEL WITH A HISTORICAL TWIST

TORONTO, Sept. 19, 2012 /CNW/ - John Keats describes autumn as a "season of mists and mellow fruitfulness," as harvest imagery and a sense of rebirth and renewal pervade our daily life. The feeling of new beginnings could not be truer this year for Inniskillin, Canada's first estate winery, as their annual vintage changeover is complemented by the introduction of its first new label in over 15 years.

"Inniskillin's philosophy has always been founded upon its commitment to producing outstanding wines from premium Canadian grapes. This was reflected in Inniskillin's first label, dating back to 1974, and it is our goal to maintain this philosophy in the new design." said Franco Timpano, Director of Marketing, Inniskillin. "We worked closely with HKA Designs to update the label to combine a sense of elegance with subtle textures and richness, inspired by the texture and quality of our wines."

The vine and grape icon on the new label is an updated interpretation of the original icon retaining the Art Nouveau wood cut style.  The icon is embossed and rendered in metallic gold, pewter, and copper to reflect the award winning status of the wines. The Inniskillin logo and icon are staged on a matte black background to intensify the rich metallic rendering of the icon.

"Inniskillin has a strong and respected status in the wine world, nationally and on a global scale. This was a primary consideration in the label design, which takes inspiration from key legacy elements of the designs from the late 1970s and early 1980s," says Lynn Keller, Creative Director, HKA Designs. "While the Inniskillin logo remains arched as it has been historically, it is now simplified, giving a modern feel and strengthening the brand communication on the label."

Not only does the new label draw on historical designs, but it draws on the history of Inniskillin itself, telling the story of the brand's early beginnings in producing outstanding wine. The label's Celtic feel is inspired by Inniskillin's tie to the Irish regiment, The Inniskilling Fusiliers, where serving member Colonel Cooper was granted crown land where the original winery now sits after the wars of the early 1800s. With Inniskillin's Irish heritage and the design's entwined curves, resembling the complexity of a grape vine as it matures, the updated label effectively communicates the brand's deep roots to its history and the growing of fine wine grapes.

The first of the new packaging for Inniskillin's Estate Collection Tier will begin to enter the marketplace in September 2012 in Ontario at the LCBO, Wine Boutique, and Wine Rack, and will begin to hit shelves in the brand's Wine Boutique in British Columbia as well as in government and select private retailers across Western Canada.

As more new vintages are released beginning in Spring 2013, Inniskillin will reveal its new ultra premium and luxury tiers.

The full five tiers of the collections are outlined below. For a description of each, please click here.

Inniskillin - Niagara-on-the-Lake Estate - Ontario Wine Collections
Niagara Estate
Reserve
Discovery
Montague Single Vineyard
Icewine

Inniskillin - Okanagan Estate - British Columbia Wine Collections
Okanagan Estate
Reserve
Discovery
Dark Horse Single Vineyard
Icewine

To download high-res images showcasing the evolution of the Inniskillin Niagara label, from the most recent design dating back to the original, please click here. For images of the Inniskillin Okanagan label evolution, please click here.

ABOUT INNISKILLIN WINES

The combined efforts of the Inniskillin winemaking team and the viticulture team keep Inniskillin focused on consistently producing top quality VQA wines. Inniskillin Wines, established in 1975 by co‐founders Donald Ziraldo and Karl Kaiser, is Canada's premier estate winery producing truly distinctive and elegant wines from premium grape varieties grown in Canada. In January of 2007 Winemaker Bruce Nicholson arrived at Inniskillin after Kaiser's retirement and is carrying on the tradition of excellence and innovation. Inniskillin has vineyards in the Niagara Peninsula in Ontario and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Inniskillin has gained international recognition for its award winning Icewines and can be found in over 73 countries around the world. Inniskillin is proud of the role it has played and continues to be one of the rising stars in bringing recognition to Canada as part of the international success of Canadian wines.

SOURCE: Inniskillin Wines