This past week I was in California for some wine tasting and a wedding (sounds fancy doesn’t it?). Cruising around California’s wine country in a limousine was the most unlikely of places I expected to realize the power of branding, but as we veered through the valley I looked to see the famed Opus One Winery. Opus One is a winery famous for both its esteemed creators Robert Mondavi and Baron Philippe de Rothschild, as well as its premium priced wine. To be successful selling its fancy wine at about $300 a bottle, in a valley housing 500-some wineries, they have to be doing something right and I think it’s safe to assume much of it is brand power. I mean sure, it helps that the owners have already branded their own famous wine labels, but clearly a little branding goes a long ways.

Everything from the architecture of the building (which literally rises out of the ground) to the labels on the bottle describe their unique and “upper-class” creation. The winery is meant to mirror the wine – “a meeting of new and old world aesthetics”. In 1984 when the 1979 and 1981 vintages were unveiled, Opus One became known as America’s first ultra-premium white wine. This milestone set the tone for an expensive winery to make its mark in the industry.

The association of aristocracy and exclusivity that the winery has created around their product draws people to simply drive around the property so they can brag they’ve been there (guilty as charged). But even more amazing are people visiting the winery to taste one measly glass of the Bordeaux blend for a hefty penny and an even bigger lump of change to purchase a bottle or case. While many of the mid range wines in Napa Valley have struggled to fill shelves in a tough economy, Opus One continues to thrive as an exclusive winery, as well a popular tourist destination.

During the rest of my week long trip there I noticed many other ways wineries tried to differentiate themselves from the competition. They utilized their labels, décor of tasting rooms, cheese and chocolate pairings with wine, unique wine glasses and most importantly their names. One of my other favorite places was Fleury, a small winery that only sells their product in house and bottles only a few thousand cases a year total. Their distinctiveness and brand differentiation could be found in the name of their most popular wine “F-in Red”. You have to love a little humor in the midst of so many literal wine names like Maple Vineyard Zinfandel or Late Harvest Riesling.

-Kaitlyn Anderson, Brand Manager