COMPANY PROFILE

We had a particularly noir week this week at wine-n-gear; lots of our wholesale wine accessory projects done in dark/noir color schemes. No project more exemplifies the noir theme of our week more than our project with "Solea" Wines. Solea opted for a dual color white/red imprint on both sides of our Coutale Sommelier Premium Corkscrew. The results are below:

Continuing our thread of Black projects is this custom foil cutter we did for "Canihan" and "Exuberance" a family of small-production brands out of Sonoma, CA. These came out particularly well, with Canihan and Exuberance using both complementary logo placements to their advantage. 

Lastly, we had a lot of fun producing the following Matte Black Pulltap's for "Augusta Vin" - a new boutique producer out of Texas. We laser engraved their logo into the Matte Black Pulltap's premium handle. The custom laser engraving contrasts nicely with the Deep Noir of the Matte Black Handle.

That's it for this week!

Browse all our Wholesale Wine Accessories here.

Cheers for now,

Arthur @ wine-n-gear

Although wine-n-gear is a wholesaler and direct importer of all wine accessories, corkscrews have always been our speciality. For one, we are the only Authorized distributor of Coutale Sommelier corkscrews in the USA, and back in 2007 when wine-n-gear came into fruition, that was the only line of products we carried.

Today, of course, our Wholesale Catalog spans 35+ pages ranging from Acrylic Glassware, to Ice Buckets, to Champagne & Wine Stoppers, and even Apparel and Wood Wine Boxes.

Although a lot has changed since 2007 our passion for corkscrews and corkscrew customization has not. Here's a look at a couple fun projects from this week:

Project #1: "Red Soles Winery" Premium by Coutale Sommelier

For this project Red Soles Winery decided they wanted to print their logo in PMS 194 Red on our Premium Black. We worked with them to switch the imprint space to the metal portion of the corkscrew, where the logo would be better represented than on the Black Background (we usually print in white on the Premium).

Project #2: "Grgich Hills" Pocket Rosewood by Coutale Sommelier

Grgich Hills wanted a corkscrew that was traditional, elegant, high-end, and wood-handled. We went with the Pocket Prestige Rosewood by Coutale Sommelier and paired it with a matching custom corkscrew sleeve. The corkscrew logo is laser engraved.

Project #3: "Alma Rosa" Rose Gold Pulltap's

Alma Rosa approached us with a fun project. Find a corkscrew that matched their new Copper and Blue wine label. The solution? This gorgeous Rose Gold Pulltap's corkscrew with "Alma Rosa" pad printed in their trademark blue tone.

Cheers for now,

Arthur @ wine-n-gear

We had an eventful week at wine-n-gear this week, sending out quotes and mock ups on a variety of wholesale corkscrew, “Ah So” Corkpuller, and Ice Bucket inquiries. Here are a few of our Favorites: 

Chrome “Ah So” Corkpuller + Chrome Pulltap’s for Hope & Grace Napa Valley

Hope & Grace needed a wine club member gift that was strikingly aesthetic and high-end. They opted for a matching set of Chrome “Ah So” Corkpuller and Chrome Pulltap’s – both packaged in a Black Carton Gift Box with their “Hope & Grace Napa Valley” Logo in Silver Hot Stamp Print. We’d say they made an excellent choice.

4-6 Bottle Custom Ice Bucket for Justin

Justin wanted an Ice Bucket with modern edges that could fit 4-6 Bottles of wine comfortably (and even fit 8-10 if needed). We built this custom ice bucket to their specifications and printed their logo in dual-color on both sides.

Custom Laser Engraved Coutale Sommelier Pocket Prestige Stainless Steel for Bistue Cellars

Bistue Cellars wanted their logo to shine and loved the Pocket Prestige model corkscrew. We recommended the Stainless Steel Pocket Prestige as it has a larger laser engraving space on the spine than the remainder of the Pocket Prestige models (due to its full stainless steel body).

Gold 750mL “One Bottle” Wine Growler for Landmark Vineyards

Landmark wanted their wine growlers to stand out. What better way than to pick a gold wine growler with a striking black logo print?

Custom Pantone PMS 319-C Champagne Flute for Zonin Prosecco

Papi Wines recently reached out to us with a multifaceted branding project. They needed a unique Ice Bucket to pair with Acrylic Champagne Flutes, Champagne Stoppers, Champagne Sippers, and Corkscrews. The color scheme: black. The logo print color: gold.

Side by side with Papi Wines we designed the following Product Marketing Plan:

Large “Unique Design” 4-6 Bottle Ice Bucket (Non-LED):

Matching Acrylic Champagne Flutes:

Matching Champagne Stoppers & Sippers:

Matte Black Pulltap's Premium with Laser Engraved Gold Logo:

Working with Papi Wines was a dream come true. We understood their vision for their product marketing plan from the start and Papi Wines trusted us to execute. Multi-faceted projects like this are what we are most passionate about - executing across multiple product lines on the highest level. We can't wait to work with Papi Wines again - maybe next time on their Rosé line!

Cheers for now,

Arthur @ wine-n-gear

Korbel, the famed California Champagne House (and you can say “champagne” because they are grandfathered in) recently approached us with a complex project. They wanted to do an entire line of wine accessories – wholesale corkscrews, champagne sippers, LED champagne buckets, champagne flutes, and champagne stoppers, all in Korbel’s custom color: Light Green PMS 367.

We love multifaceted and color-matching projects like this as it really tests our wholesale and custom capabilities.

Plus, working with Korbel is exciting in and of itself. For the LED Champagne Bucket Korbel decided on a Large 4-6 Bottle Plastic Bucket in their custom “Korbel Green” with a White LED that would shine through the plastic. Here is an initial mock up:

"Korbel" Custom LED Champagne Bucket:

For the Champagne Sippers, Champagne Flute, and Champagne Stopper Korbel decided to continue the Light Green PMS 367 theme, while alternating between a gold logo and a black “Korbel” logo. The final products looked like this:

"Korbel" Custom Champagne Stopper:

"Korbel" Custom Champagne Flutes:

"Korbel" Custom Champagne Sipper:

Lastly, Korbel decided to go with the French Coutale Sommelier Pocket Plastic corkscrew in (you guessed it) custom PMS 367 “Korbel Green.” Wholesale Corkscrews are of course our forte and Coutale Sommelier is our special line – we import them from France and are the exclusive distributor for the brand in the USA. With exclusivity comes perks – we can customize any Coutale Sommelier wholesale corkscrew into any color. The same goes for Korbel where we created a Light Green PMS 367 Pocket Plastic corkscrew in a white gift box with “Korbel” logo in Gold. The final corkscrew looked like this:

"Korbel" Custom French Corkscrew:

Sullivan Rutherford Estates approached us recently with a custom “Ah So” (also known as Butler’s Friend) Two-Prong Corkscrew project. One of their wine club shipments going out had the theme of “Vintage Wine” – and what better way to enunciate the theme than to include a custom branded “Sullivan Rutherford Estates” Ah So Corkpuller.

“Ah So’s” are generally used for older vintage wines. The reason? The dual prong mechanism grips the cork and extracts it without having to drill into the cork like a corkscrew. This is an advantage when talking about older wines that may have brittle corks. 

Originally Sullivan wanted to proceed with our Bamboo Corkpuller, in a Black Carton GiftBox, and with the “Sullivan” logo laser engraved in the bamboo wood. Photo below:

After viewing samples of all three colors of our “Ah So” – Bamboo Wood, Black ABS Plastic, and Chrome Stainless Steel (and seeing mock ups of all three variations) Sullivan decided to proceed with the Chrome Corkpuller featuring double sided (different) laser engraved logos. (Wine-n-gear does not charge for laser engraving or for dual sided laser engraving, so why not take advantage?) Sullivan also proceeded with the Black Carton GiftBox with Goil Foil Hot-Stamped Logo.

Black "Ah So" Mock Up:

Chrome "Ah So" Mock Up (Approved for Production):

To go with the “Ah So” Corkpuller Sullivan Rutherford Estates also wanted a corkscrew (for those non-vintage wines). While they initially looked into the Pulltap’s Premium Gunmetal (pictured below) they ultimately decided on the Pocket Prestige by Coutale Sommelier (this was after seeing samples).

Pulltap's Premium Gunmetal:

We mocked up both the Naturalwood and the Blackwood Pocket Prestige with Sullivan ultimately deciding to proceed with the Naturalwood in a Black Carton GiftBox that would match their “Ah So’s.” Ultimately this project came out great and was a pleasure to work on. The aesthetics and sophistication of the “Sullivan Rutherford Estates” seems to be reflected in the Wine Accessories we’ve delivered, and in the end, that’s our greatest achievement.

You can view our “Ah So” Corkpullers here.

And you can view the Coutale Sommelier Pocket Prestige here.

Cheers!

Arthur @ wine-n-gear

Owner

Philippe Dandurand, the gold standard for wine distribution in Canada, recently approached us with a unique project. They wanted to create an ice bucket and a matching custom corkscrew in their trademark Pantone 2935U. At first we discussed the possibilities of the Pulltap’s Spanish corkscrew in a custom Pantone with a matching white gift box. Here’s an initial mock up:

After seeing samples, however, Dandurand ended up preferring the Coutale Sommelier Innovation Corkscrew (similar manual double-lever mechanism to the Spanish Pulltap’s). They weren’t sure, however, whether they wanted to do the corkscrew in White with logo in Pantone 2935U, or the opposite, the corkscrew in Pantone 2935U and the logo in White. After reviewing mock ups (here below) Dandurand decided on moving forward with the Innovation with the custom Pantone 2935U handle, logo in white, with a matching sleeve with “Dandurand” logo in Pantone 2935U. In this way we were able to use Dandurand’s colors to the maximum, increasing brand color recognition.

Version #1:

Version #2 (Approved Version):

For the Ice Bucket Dandurand had an interesting concept. They wanted to do a dual color logo on a Matte Black Ice Bucket – easy enough – but there was a kicker, the interior of the bucket was to be Pantone 2935U, their brand color. Our factory is able to produce virtually any combination of colors and this project was no exception. We were able to produce this dual color bucket with no issues on execution or timing. We started with a Pantone 2935U bucket which we coated in Matte Black paint on the outside. The final touch was the dual color “Dandurand” logo. Here’s the final product, you can judge for yourself if we represented Dandurand's branding well:

All in all we love projects that harness a concept and force us to think outside the box. The Dandurand project was one of these projects. We were able to fulfill Dandurand’s vision through a mixture of creativity and knowhow. We couldn’t ask for anything more out of a wine accessory project.

Get in touch with us if you have a project you’d like us to work on. We can be contacted here.

Cheers for now!

Arthur, Owner

Wine-n-gear

Blackwood Lane Winery recently approached us with a unique corkscrew project. Having just released their Magnum Opus wine – The President – an epic 1.5L Magnum Cab Sauv, Cab Franc, Merlot, Petit Verdot and Malbec blend priced at CAD $880, they were looking for a packaging solution that reflected both the value of the wine and incorporated a custom laser engrave corkscrew with their "Blackwood Lane" logo.

Our solution: A California Designed and Produced Pinewood Gift Box, coated in a Black Lacquer finish (to reflect the brands black/dark themes), containing a secret corkscrew compartment. The initial sketch looked like this:

Initial Wine Box Sketch

Blackwood Lane Winery chose the Prestige Double-Lever French Corkscrew by Coutale Sommelier as their corkscrew of choice. The Prestige is the heftiest and highest-end corkscrew in the Coutale Sommelier line, a statement piece befitting of a $880 bottle of wine. Here are some initial mock ups we worked up for Blackwood Lane of both the Prestige and Prestige Pocket Blackwood with a custom laser engraved "Blackwood Lane" logo:

Prestige + Prestige Pocket Mock Ups

Once the initial packaging sketch and corkscrew mock up were approved we moved into production. Blackwood Lane asked for a silver logo imprint on the outside of the Wooden Box. For the Prestige Corkscrew we laser engraved the logo. The final box product looked like this:

Final Single Wine Bottle Box

Blackwood Lane Winery understands that packaging and presentation can sell a wine to an end-buyer the the same degree as the quality of the wine itself. Convincing a consumer to spend CAD $880 on a Magnum bottle of wine is one thing, but selling a consumer on a vision, on a unique one-of-a-kind gift package, especially during the Christmas season, is something else altogether.

Of all the wine accessories Blackwood Lane could've included in the Magnum Wine Box they chose the corkscrew. Of all the promotional wine accessories, the high-end corkscrew still reigns supreme. The combination of high usage, functionality, and repeat logo impression can't be beat. Coutale Sommelier corkscrews, which last a lifetime, get repeat impressions from customers over the course of years - keeping a wine brand relevant in the consumer's mind at all times. 

The Packaging and Custom Corkscrew solution we developed for Blackwood Lane was a highlight of our year. A project that was as fun as it was rewarding; both in sales and in satisfaction for all parties involved.

To view more of our Wholesale Projects visit our Promotional Products Page here.

To view more Coutale Sommelier Prestige project click here.

Imagine this – you’re the owner of a Napa Winery just off of the St. Helena Highway. A couple visiting the Napa Valley comes in – they’re from Louisiana and come once a year to the wine country to taste and bring home some wines. They purchase 6 bottles on their way out and your tasting rooms packages the wine in a nondescript cardboard box. You never see the client again.

Now Imagine this – you package 2 of the bottles in a custom wine tote with your winery logo. The other four bottles are packaged in a logo-branded wood wine crate (the wine is an expensive vintage). Back in Louisiana the couple uses the Wine Crate as a decorative piece in their home and the reusable wine tote is used to bring wine to their friend’s homes and back.

Next year, the couple returns to try more wines. They haven’t forgotten the brand, or how much they enjoyed the wine, even though the wine itself has long been drank.

Herein lies the value of promotional products. Promotional products are valuable in numerous ways – they give a brand a certain level of professionalism – imagine a tasting room manager wearing a brand-embroidered North Face Vest vs. a regular Nirvana T-Shirt – but even more so than this, they give a brand long-term client recall. Acquiring clients is hard enough. Once they’ve been acquired, the most important factor is keeping the client loyal and engaged to the brand. When client acquisition cost is high, like it is in the varied Wine Country’s across the US, the importance of keeping a client within a Wine Club ecosystem through brand recall becomes especially poignant.

At wine-n-gear we offer Wine Accessories, Apparel, and Promotional Merchandise to fulfill all aspects of Promotional Product brand management. 

Our custom embroidered and silk-screened apparel keeps staff and employees in professional logoed clothing while doubling as a POS item for a gift shop, tasting room, or Wine Club gift Incentive.

The same can be said of our varied wine accessories. We offer French Corkscrews, Wine Growlers, Spanish Pulltap’s, Ah So’sand more. These make great POS items, brand promotional items to give to distributors, or wine club gifts.

We source, manufacture, and bespoke-build everything else. Need custom wine totes, wood wine boxes, wine roller bags, or acrylic wine glasses? Done. Need any other merchandise for your gift shop or as a Holiday giveaway, just reach out to us.

At wine-n-gear we’ve been trusted with managing the wine accessory and merchandise brand-image of wineries since 2007. We’ve grown a lot in that time but our focus has always remained the same: offering high-end promotional items at a cost-effective value that will boost a Winery’s bottom line and end ROI.

 We can’t wait to work with you.

 Check out our Promotional Products page here.

 You can see all our Wine Accessories by visiting our Wholesale page here.

1. They’re The Original Spring-Loaded Double Lever Corkscrew.

 See the “Patented” metal embossing on the hinge? That’s because Coutale Sommelier French corkscrews, designed by French Vintner Philippe Bernede, are the original patented spring-loaded double lever corkscrew. But what does that mean? Double-hinge corkscrews came to popularity with Pulltap’s and early Coutale Sommelier models. Unlike the prevailing single-lever waiter’s corkscrews of the time, double-hinge corkscrews allowed for two pulls on the corkscrew rather than one. This results in a smoother cork pull and a smaller chance of breaking a cork, especially an old cork. Pulltap’s and early Coutale Sommelier models feature a manual hinge, meaning after the first pull you have to manually push the hinge so that the second pull lines up on the lip of the wine bottle. With Philippe’s spring-loaded mechanism the spring automatically moves the lever back into place, saving the user time and producing a smoother cork opening process.

2. They’re Imported From France, and They Look like It

 The French are incredible craftsmen, especially when it comes to wine or wine accessories. Coutale Sommelier corkscrews are expertly crafted and imported from France. On many models we still imprint customer logos in France. Coutale Sommelier corkscrews come in a range of finishes to appeal to all price points. Although all Coutale corkscrews are based on a stainless steel frame we offer full stainless, wood, and ABS plastic finishes in order to market to every price point and brand image. Our plastic model corkscrews can be pad printed in any color while our stainless steel and wood corkscrews are often laser engraved with custom branding. Aesthetically, no corkscrew compares to Coutale Sommelier corkscrews.

 3. With wine-n-gear Coutale Corkscrews Ship Free, with no Set Up Fees or Logo Printing Fees.

 Wine-n-gear is the exclusive designated importer for Coutale Sommelier corkscrews in the United States & Canada. Anyone who wants Wholesale or Retail Coutale Sommelier corkscrews works with us. We take pride in our customer service, quick email response, and the fact that we never charge set up fees, logo printing fees, or shipping fees. All our pricing is end to end. Contact us to request our full Catalog, mock ups, or any other questions. And visit our full selection of Coutale Sommelier corkscrews here. 

You might’ve seen a champagne sipper in action before. It looks something like this:

Champagne Sippers, also called toppers or pourers, are a fun, cost-effective way to make a brand statement at any soirée, event, or gala where champagne is served.

Often paired with mini champagne bottles, but available in both mini and regular bottle sizes, champagne sippers can be made in a variety of metallic colors as well as any custom PMS color. At wine-n-gear we include custom PMS matching and double sided logo print standard on all champagne sipper orders.

Here are a couple of wine-n-gear's recent projects below:

Originally designed as a classier way of drinking out of a mini champagne bottle, champagne sippers have made a splash outside of the wine industry and have been featured on red carpets like the Golden Globe awards this past year.

In closing, Champagne Sippers are an extremely effective promotional item for the following reasons:

1. They are cost effective @$2.95 a unit with wine-n-gear.
2. They are a unique product and retain the attention of a target audience
3. They are impossible to buy retail, and thus consumers keep them long-term.
4. They are a part of an event experience. Not just a hand out.
5. They are extremely customizable and lightweight for shipping. 

So there you have it. Check out our Champagne Sippers on our wine-n-gear wholesale e-commerce store here.

And refer here for mock up requests, sample requests, and any other inquires into all things Champagne Sipper.

If you read our blog from last week then you know how important promotional corkscrews are to marketing any wine-industry related brand. 

For the next two weeks (9/1 - 9/14) all our Pulltap's Spanish Corkscrews are 10% off. Check out directly on our e-commerce page and use code "GIVEME10" at check out.

Alternatively, you can email sales@wine-n-gear.com for all mock ups, samples, and order inquiries. Just mention the sale and we'll add the discount to your order.  

We offer Spanish Pulltap's in every color. We can Pantone Color-Match your logo and create a custom Pantone handle if desired.

We never charge set up, logo, or shipping fees. All pricing on website and Catalog are end to end. 

Scroll down to see a few recent Custom Pulltap's Projects Below:

When it comes to selecting promotional products for wineries and tasting rooms it can feel like there’s an infinite number of promotional items to choose from. The benefits of logo customized and brand-personalized items and the impressions they rake in are well-known and oft-repeated. An impression study done by the Advertising Specialty Institute (ASI) found that promotional products remained less expensive per impression than all other forms of traditional advertising.

Further, the study found that “The investment in [promotional products] is modest, more targeted and allows for much greater levels of interaction with consumers than other forms of advertising.” More targeted advertising is important in the context of a winery or tasting room’s marketing or retail budget. Unlike a national ad campaign run by a beer or liquor conglomerate with the intent of reaching millions of consumers, wineries on the whole have a smaller marketing budget and smaller, more targeted audience.

With this context established wineries and tasting rooms should ask themselves three questions before selecting a promotional product:

1. Will my audience retain and use this product over time?
2. Does the marketing impression generated by this product re-emphasize my brand and industry?
3. Does this product reflect the quality of my brand?

A promotional item’s ROI increases exponentially with time and usage and its impression is more meaningful when the item correlates to the brand’s industry. For example, a promotional pen with a winery’s brand on it does not re-emphasize wine or wine drinking. With that said let’s examine the three best Promotional Products for Wineries and the Wine Industry:

#1: The Corkscrew

The Corkscrew is a winery’s most important promotional tool. It checks off all three requirements of a wine industry promotional product. An impression generated by a high-end corkscrew re-emphasizes a winery brand on every impression due to its association with the opening of wine and the purchase of more wine. A winery’s target audience will retain a high-end corkscrew for years due to the utility and durability of the tool. The winery’s brand impression will occur at every occurrence of wine being opened over that multi-year period. Two of the best corkscrew brands for price to quality ratio are Coutale Sommelier from France and Pulltap’s from Spain. Both corkscrew brands produce high-end, cost-effective corkscrews available at wholesale pricing with custom logo imprints.

#2: The 750mL “One Bottle” Wine Growler

The 750mL Wine Growler is a unique promotional tool for any winery or tasting room. A winery’s target audience is usually willing to purchase a Wine Growler due to its utility and novelty. If used as a free promotional product giveaway or purchase incentive clients are sure to retain a favorable view of the brand as a Wine Growler is considered a high-end, lucrative promotional product. A “One Bottle” Wine Growler fits and keeps chilled one full bottle of Rosé, White, or Red Wine. Like the corkscrew, a custom logoed Wine Growler re-emphasizes a winery’s brand on every use. Plus, customers often like to fill their Wine Growlers with the same wine as the branding on the Growler. Wine Growlers often get re-used as water bottles or coffee thermoses and thus create additional impressions.

#3: The “Ah So” Two-Prong Corkpuller

The “Ah So” Two-Prong Corkpuller, like the corkscrew and the wine growler, emphasizes a wine brand at the perfect time, when a wine bottle is being opened. Like the corkscrew, the “Ah So” is a product a wine consumer loves and retains over time due to its utility and quality. More so than a corkscrew, an “Ah So” retains an “in the know” cache due its uniqueness and relative rarity of use in comparison to a corkscrew. A wholesale “Ah So” is the perfect promotional item for a winery with a very dedicated audience made up of oenophiles and wine collectors. The “Ah So” Two-Prong Corkpuller is the perfect promotional product for the discerning wine collector who already has the basics, like a corkscrew, at home. Two-Prong “Ah So” Corkpullers with a custom printed logo are available wholesale and in a variety of finishes from wine-n-gear.