YOU CAN'T JUDGE WINE BY ITS LABEL, BUT IT DOES HELP YOU TO SELL IT. Labels have always been part of the wine experience, but in the last few decades, we have seen an explosion in diversity of styles, following huge volume increases in both new-world wines and new wine consumers. Volume now dictates, and wine is marketed with the advertising, focus groups, and brand strategies, of any other fast-moving consumer good.

The brands and labels shown here have generally been designed with a different approach in mind. Most of the wines are small volume and often are produced almost entirely by hand. For these, I tried to reflect an essential quality about the wine, the winery or the winemaker. Added to this was something many designers share - an appreciation of simple, direct craftsmanship. This may have encouraged the hands-on in creating these labels.

For more recent wine design please go to: Mark Adams Brand Stories