Exclusive | From heritage to haute design: Denomination’s vision for Chapel Hill Winery’s premium Shiraz, “The Devil”

September 20, 2024

In our latest interview with Rowena Curlewis, CEO & Co-Founder of Denomination, we delve into the creative process behind Chapel Hill Winery’s new ultra-premium Shiraz, “The Devil.”

Explore how Denomination’s collaboration with Chapel Hill celebrates its rich heritage through a striking packaging design. Discover how Denomination crafted its new design, from its innovative use of sustainable materials to the intricate details that reflect Chapel Hill’s branding.

Tell us a bit about the brand – its heritage, its story, and its markets.

Chapel Hill Winery is named after the iconic ironstone Chapel, built by Methodist settlers to the McLaren Vale area, and officially opened in December 1865. It closed one hundred years later in 1965. After years left vacant and derelict, Adelaide professor Thomas Nelson stumbled across the property and had a romantic dream of resurrecting the Chapel and planting a vineyard. In converting the old Chapel, a key was the installation of an old 1770 stain glass window imported from Glasgow which become part of the Chapel Hill identity.

The winery’s success continued under the careful stewardship of ground-breaking winemaker Pam Dunsford, who paved the way for women in the Australian wine industry during the 80s and 90s.

During the 2000s, new world varietals were planted to respond to consumer demand and a new perspective on sustainability started to influence vineyard practices. Now the winery, under the careful guidance of head winemaker and GM Michael Fragos, prides itself on its sustainability approach with consideration and sensitivity towards the environment, efficient use of resources and an eye on the future to pave the way forward.

How does the design express the brand’s values? What inspired the design?

In celebration of the 50^th vintage of Chapel Hill Winery, there was an opportunity to establish the brand as a McLaren Vale market leader within the ultra-premium shiraz category through a distinctive new offering to consumers that authentically reflects Chapel Hill’s sustainable winemaking philosophy.

Our brief was to design a flagship wine and accompanying gift box that provided a halo effect for the entire portfolio by shifting consumers premium and quality perception of the brand as a whole.

The packaging was to encompass the brand positioning (Heaven from Earth) and brand personality attributes as passionate leaders in sustainability. In terms of the wine itself, The Devil is in the detail of the winemaking practices, with precise ratios of new to seasoned oak, careful and gentle plunging and minimal additions. An elegant Shiraz, the purity and balance shines through and promise silky smooth enjoyment for years to come.

What is innovative or unusual about your packaging?

The deceptively simple screen printed typographic design is in the shape of the brand’s key distinctive asset: the chapel window. The restraint and precision of the typography illustrates the careful detail and consideration given to the making of this exceptional wine.

The back label is printed on Fasson Grape Crush – a sustainable paper stock using grape waste and further reinforcing the sustainability story.

An environmentally-friendly gift box features the chapel window, laser cut over two sides encouraging light to shine through the “window panes” through to the bottle inside, inspired by both the stain glass window and the promise of the purity of fruit shining through this wine.

What technical challenges did you need to overcome to manufacture the packaging, if any?

Whilst this is a premium product, we wanted to reduce our environmental impact and carbon footprint in both shipping and production of the gift box. So we designed this unique crush box that could be shipped flat, packed locally and fully recycled at end of life. In order to create premium perceptions, an intricate design was laser cut into two sides of the gift box to create a window that reflected the iconic brand logo but also allowed consumers to view the premium bottle design inside. Ensuring that the box didn’t lose integrity once the design was cut in was key to the success of this design, thus we worked closely with our box suppliers to find a balance between elegance and function.

What reactions have you had from customers?

The verbatim feedback from both the client, retailer and consumers has been extremely positive: as Nicole Fernance of Paragon Wine Estates says: “Everyone who sees The Devil just loves the design!”