Revolutionary Sonoma County Wine Company Truett-Hurst Launches World's First Evocative Wrapped Wine Bottle Series

HEALDSBURG, Calif., Sept. 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Truett-Hurst, the Sonoma County wine company and trendsetter, has announced that Pleasanton, CA-based Safeway Inc. plans to  carry one of the most unique wine lines to hit retail shelves: Evocative Wrapped Bottles.

(Photo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120912/SF72747)

Due on Safeway shelves in September 2012, the inventive line of wines, with such brand names as Fuchsia, Curious Beasts, Candells, Schucks, and Bewitched, are sheathed in exquisitely designed wraps that tell a story, give a recipe, or celebrate a special occasion. 

Truett-Hurst, along with critically acclaimed package designer Kevin Shaw, of Stranger & Stranger (New York and London), identified 22 buying occasions and created brands in a packaging format that commands a powerful shelf presence. With the added paper real estate, the wraps allow for more copy, recipes, and engagement among consumers in a way that a tiny back label cannot. The Evocative Wrapped Bottles present a major opportunity for gifting — delivering a significant added value to the retailer and the buyer. In preparing the Wrapped Bottle series for shelves, Truett-Hurst CEO Phil Hurst, explains, "We've delivered on all purchase impulse components with this fresh and ingenious series of wines."  Safeway's plans are to launch nine SKUs, or "occasions," nationally. 

Purpose
With Evocative Wrapped Bottles, consumers will be able to select a wine that suits their personal desires and needs, an attribute that the wine industry doesn't address with standard packaging design. Designer Shaw says, "I've thought for a long time that there's a real opportunity to engage wine consumers on their own terms. We offer them products based on provenance and variety, yet they are buying wine for occasions." He adds, "Consumers want a wine for fish, a wine for a barbecue, and a wine that makes a hit at a dinner party. Instead, they're offered 6,000 indistinguishable and unmemorable Pinot Noir brands from various parts of California." Whether it is the blood-colored Curious Beasts or the aura of Bewitched, the wine becomes the focal point of an evening or occasion. 

Evocative Wrapped Wine Bottle Series SKUs

Production
The Evocative Wrapped Bottles collection is made up of beautifully labeled wine bottles in an innovative, patent-pending resilient wrapped paper, made in the United States. The wraps perform like a fully synthetic paper but print as traditional pulp-based paper. It's made with a poly layer between two sheets of traditional paper; the poly layer imparts tear-resistant qualities. The resulting "wine wrap" achieves the look and feel of a hand-wrapped bottle while production of the packaging remains at a high level of consistency. The wraps are 100% FSC certified and recyclable via single-stream recycling.

The package will stand up in cold-box environments or in water, such as in an ice bucket or ice chest, for extended periods with no visual changes. It can also be reused for more occasions.

About Truett-Hurst
Truett Hurst's partnership includes a vast network of vineyard sources all over California and specifically in the acclaimed Russian River Valley of Sonoma County. Winemaker and partner Virginia Lambrix not only oversees winemaking of the Evocative Wrapped Bottles series, but she also contributes inspiration and creative input for the wrap art. The company's mission since its establishment in 2011 is to integrate the contributions of the grower, winery, and marketer to change the way people buy wine. CEO Hurst says, "From innovative packaging to channels of distribution and the Internet, we want to differentiate and disrupt the marketplace a bit."

The company has future plans to license the Evocative Wrapped Bottles series all over the globe. In the spirit of innovation, the company has recently retained Kevin Shaw as an equity shareholder to design new labels for a diverse list of wine marketing channels.

CONTACT: Lee Hodo, Four Tier Communications
[email protected]
707-332-0857

SOURCE Truett-Hurst