Sara Nelson Design builds wine brands from the foundation up, aligning strategy, identity and packaging around the same message and the same business goals.
Badger Mountain Vineyard’s new label helped them secure new distributors.
Revelation by Goose Ridge grew 185% nationally.
These results move design firmly into the business conversation.
Preserving the Familiar
Badger Mountain Vineyard already had strong recognition in its iconic cobalt-colored bottles. Sara Nelson Design retained the familiar blue while bringing the mountain into the visual story. They also used modern printing technology to amplify the bottle’s vibrancy (and thus visibility) on the shelf.
We’ve already heard great things so far from customers and retail partners, and the label change has played a pivotal role in helping us secure new distributors and more opportunities,” said Bella Pablo, Badger Mountain Vineyard’s D2C and marketing manager.
SevenFifty Daily reports that Badger Mountain is forecasting 20 to 25 percent sales growth in 2026 as the redesigned bottles reach the market.
Successful rebrands don't discard history. The strongest move is knowing what equity to keep—and what needs to evolve.
Before the first sketch, Sara Nelson and her team clarify where the business wants to go and uncover the story customers will connect with.
Design That Buyers Connect With
Revelation by Goose Ridge celebrates three generations of women whose influence reaches from the vineyard and cellar through sales and marketing. Sara Nelson Design translated that legacy into a distinctive brand identity and package.
“Revelation is driving new consumer engagement with 185% national growth,” Quintessential Wines co-owner Dennis Kreps told Shanken News Daily. Kreps also praised the brand’s visually compelling labels and clear positioning.
The response from the trade was just as telling.
Wineries and distributors usually pursue retailers for placement. Shortly after Revelation entered distribution, a major retailer reversed that dynamic, calling the winery to say it wanted both the wine and the package in its stores.
That is what effective wine branding can do: give consumers something to recognize and buyers something they want to put on the shelf.
Build a Highly Valuable Asset
Sara Nelson and her team approach every wine brand development project knowing that the brand itself can become one of a winery owner’s most valuable assets.
Recent industry news illustrates why.
In the Pacific Rim bankruptcy, WarRoom Cellars acquired the Pacific Rim brand along with approximately one year of inventory, while the winery’s property and equipment entered a separate liquidation process, according to Northwest Wine Report.
The transaction is instructive. A winery’s name, identity, customer recognition and market position can retain commercial value independent of its physical property and equipment.
What Does Your Label Need to Do?
Does it need to support a new price point? Attract distributor interest? Become more recognizable on the shelf? Communicate your story more clearly?
Those are business questions before they are design questions.
Sara Nelson Design explores them through its Facets of Your Brilliant Brand™ process, a deep dive that establishes the brand’s positioning, audience, story and ambitions before identity and packaging decisions begin.
If your winery is ready to build a stronger brand—from its strategic foundation through identity and packaging—start the conversation at SaraNelson.com or call 509-545-4584.