WINE ... with David Bray
Here’s a thought that has likely never been so eloquently expressed in a wine column: “If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun”. It is attributed to Katherine Hepburn, who was apparently well qualified to dispense such advice.
It comes to us by courtesy of Saint & Sinner Wines, basically from Griffith but using grapes from varied sources. Some great marketing, branding, creative thinking, whatever, as well as wine-making going on here. Not all wine industry traditionalists will care for this but it certainly refreshing.
The new Saint & Sinner Calling Card range is made up of 2010 Saint & Sinner Calling Card Adelaide Hill Savvy Blanc (recently mentioned in this space), 2010 Tamar Valley Pinot Gris, 2008 Wrattonbully Cabernet Sauvignon and 2007 McLaren Vale Syrah. It is fair to report that these wines are fun and fashionable. The blurb also claims they are sexy, which is not an adjective usually applied to plonk. The line is that each blend personifies a different woman. But it doesn’t stop there.
Every label carries a number which the bottle buyer may SMS to find out more about her and carry on the conversation with his newly acquired friend.
Saint & Sinner Wines is the work of viticulturist Luke Edwards and marketer Renee de Saxe. Renee and Luke spent many years working in various wine businesses before buying their vineyard in 2005.
In 2006 they made their own wine, hand picking, crushing, plunging and bottling two tonnes of Shiraz from their 60 year old vines. They also began identifying parcels of fruit from favourite winegrowing regions for future releases from Adelaide Hills to Tamar Valley in Tasmania. “We spent a lot of time with our grape growing partners, developing small parcels of premium fruit,” Edwards says.
“The exciting thing is we have captured the imagination and affection of everyone who has worked with us throughout the process. From grape growing and winemaking through to packaging and marketing, they are excited about the wines and the brand and have taken a real ownership of it.
“The end consumer was the focus with the development of our wines. We make wines that are easy; not simple, but easy to drink and easy to get excited about. We’re not making wines for winemakers, but for ourselves, our friends and their friends.
“Each variety has its own distinct characteristics, be it alluring and opulent or assertive and complex, with striking similarities to the appealing attributes of women. These traits are obvious in the wine, so we took it to the next level by personifying it in our packaging and marketing; we wanted our customers to know what they’re going to get just by looking at the label.
“We like to live vicariously through our brand. The fun that we are having in the vineyard as well as the design studio is now transposing to dinner parties and tastings.”
And surely there’s plenty to be said in favour of this approach.
• The Calling Card range retails for $26 and is distributed nationally by Saint & Sinner and online at www.saintandsinner.com.au
