Venturi Schulze Vineyards

Designed by Hired Guns Creative, Canada.

For those well-versed in the local wines of British Columbia, and specifically Vancouver Island, the name Venturi Schulze is known for achieving excellence through natural processes. One of the oldest vineyards on Vancouver Island, they have been working diligently since 1988 to produce pure products: no pesticides, no herbicides, and no compromise in the vineyard or winery. Venturi Schulze had long relied on strong word of mouth and a dedicated local following to sell their fine wines. But they began to desire a brand and packaging that matched the sophistication of their wines.

Hired Guns Creative began the process by creating a new brand for the winery. The name of the winery had always been slightly problematic because of spelling and pronunciation challenges. However, after conducting some market research, it was decided that the name had significant mind share in their target market and renaming the winery would be detrimental. With that in mind, the focus became the refining of the Venturi Schulze name into the VS identity.

The design of their wine bottles needed to convey that their wines were something special; a typical wine label just wouldn't do. The bottles had to be interesting, eye-catching (to pop off a wine shop shelf), and needed to appeal to their target market (people aged 40+). They had to evoke the quality of the wines and the earthy, organic processes used by the winemakers. The bottles couldn't be about design trends, gimmicks, or humour - they needed to be classy and timeless.

A silk-screened bottle concept was created with a design that matches the quality of the wines and works with each of the 10-15 types of wine that they release each year. The new release of wines are in stores now and a new website and print materials are currently in the works.