Unique approach helps sell wine for women

A new wine company with roots in Winnipeg promises an uplifting story and novel marketing approach to go along with the grape.

SmileVino, a wine now available in the Manitoba Liquor Control Commission’s Liquor Mart stores, features a unique concept. The front labels of the bottles each feature a portrait of a smiling woman and a keyword theme. Then, as the wine is poured, a wider version of the photograph becomes visible through the bottle depicting a special moment in a woman’s life.

For each bottle portrait — the company is featuring a dozen every year — the consumer can then visit SmileVino online to read the full story behind the photo.

“Doug and I have worked on branding campaigns together and we thought the wine business was interesting,” said vice-president Nancy Moore, who runs the company with president Doug Martin.

Moore and Martin have been business partners for more than 20 years, operating Winnipeg advertising and marketing agency m2 Communications.

“I think there’s a gap in the market. There are tons of brands that say they’re women’s brands. But with SmileVino, there are pictures of real women, telling a story and leading you to a website full of interactivity.”

Martin said bringing the marketing idea to California wine country was daunting at first, but he added he feels the initial success of SmileVino is vindication.

“When I first went to Napa, the idea of intricately marketed wine was scary to people in the industry,” he said. “There’s so much emphasis on wine education, but 97% of consumers aren’t concerned with appellation. Everyone’s tired of appellations and sniffing corks.

‘Fight it out’

“Our wines are tremendous, but competing in the $15 range of wines, you have to fight it out on the shelf with brand recognition.”

The back stories for the bottle portraits are fictional, but Moore hopes online contests can attract customers to contribute stories and photos.

“We want to have stories from real women that say, ‘This was my real experience,’” Moore said.

The wines — a merlot and a chardonnay from California — started out for sale in the U.S. last summer but have been available on the MLCC’s shelves since mid-November. Both wines retail for $16.58 in Manitoba.

“We thought we probably should bring some up here since we’re from here,” Moore said. “Lots of people were asking us about it. It’s been selling well here to the point that the MLCC is re-ordering.”

The company also offers up The FridaySmile — a weekly illustrated inspirational e-mail message to which the company encourages its website visitors to subscribe.