Selling Wine to Women: The Eyes Have It

There are so many elements that play a part in selling wine: vintage, producer, varietal, wine region and price. And there are even more elements to consider when selling wine to women. Reports indicate that besides the above mentioned factors, women also base their purchasing decisions on the look of the label.

For decades wine labels were rather plain with a blandly colored background, large font name and, maybe, an illustration of a castle, villa, or vineyard.

Today, wine labels have more pizazz. Bold colors, interesting graphics and images, funky names: all attempting to seduce the wine consumer, especially women (who purchase up to 70% of all wine), with the promise of a fun, sexy, cutting-edge vino.

So why the labeled dramatics? With over 10,000 wine labels in the U.S, wine marketers know they have only a couple of seconds to grab the shopper’s attention and entice them to pick up that bottle. (And once it’s in your hands, the battle is almost won.) Branding now involves not only a catchy name, but appealing colors, memorable graphics and attractive fonts.

Labels vie for a woman’s attention with humorous names like Mommy’s Time Out, Well Hung, and Fourplay. Some names are so trendy they’ll be gone next year. But some are just quirky enough to stick around like 7 Deadly Zins, which has an excellent marketing campaign built around the name.

Bright, bold colors also make a statement about the wine. Bright, edgy colors appeal to women, along with more rustic, natural shades.

Graphics are more name-centric, more risqué, more fun! And the trendy wine shopper loves a label that almost goes too far.

Wine labels come in a multitude of varieties. Here is just a sampling:

Animal Wines

Animal wines, also known as “critter” wines, exist by the hundreds. In fact, there’s even a website to help you find a critter wine to your taste – Critter Wines @ www.critterwines.com Animal wine labels may be cute, or not so cute, with wild bold graphics or quiet, rustic colors. This is truly a “what the market will bear” category. The one thing that wine marketers have learned concerning critter labels and women shoppers: those labels that tend to be too cutesy get left on the shelf.

Food-Oriented Wines

It’s true - women love dessert, and chocolate, and not necessarily in that order. So it’s no wonder that wine producers have launched vinos with such names a Cupcake, Cakebread, Layer Cake, Jam Jar, Chocolate Shop, Chocolate Box and Cocoa di Vine.  Consider this one way for women to get our “just deserts.”

Sex Sells Wines

Women love risqué wine labels. They’re fun to serve with dinner when company is coming (especially the in-laws), on Girl’s Night Out or to spice up a special date-night. Looking for something that’s bound to get a rise out of guests? Then check out: Sassy Bitch, Naughty Girl, Ménage à Trois, Fourplay, Well Hung, The Full Monty, Climax and Afterglow.

Women-centric wines

There are wines aimed directly at women: the young mom, the sister, the career woman, the wife, plus all the other roles we fill. So grab a bottle of women-centric wine and share with your wine sisters. And rest assured, no man is going to touch this stuff with names like Middle Sister, Mommy’s Time Out, Mommy Juice, Mad Housewife, Bitch, Girl’s Night Out, and Working Girl Wines.

And there's an amazing offering of quirky wine labels. Don’t miss the astrology labels, wines that “show” you what they pair well with, wine in a beer bottle, wines with cartoon branding, and even a wine label made from cork!

Women purchase wine for the taste, but also for appearance. And women buy to consume, not to collect. With that in mind, marketers are changing the way wine labels sell by utilizing wittier names, bolder colors, fun fonts, and interesting images: all to build a satisfactory relationship with female consumers. And, in the end, that's what's gonna sell the wine, cause just like the song says,

"I am woman, hear me pour ..."

~ Joy