Wine Brand & Tasting Identity Lab

WEEK ONE: FOUNDATIONS & IDENTITY DEVELOPMENT

Day 1: Brand Discovery

• Winery origin story mapping
• Defining brand voice: classic, irreverent, intellectual, rustic, etc.
• Identifying core values and customer archetypes

Day 2: Benchmark Analysis

• Tasting and analyzing competitor wines (regional/national)
• Story dissection: what works, what fails
• Differentiation mapping exercise

Day 3: The Sensory Signature

• Vertical and horizontal tastings of the winery’s current lineup
• Tasting note refinement through structured exercises
• Identifying hallmark flavors, textures, and stylistic cues

Day 4: Story Architecture

• Building narratives around the wine, site, and people
• Modular storytelling: long-form, short-form, label-level
• Branding language: what to say—and what to never say

Day 5: Tasting Room Persona

• Designing experiences around brand tone
• Sensory hospitality: glasses, pacing, scripting
• Creating memorable first and last impressions

WEEK TWO: APPLICATION, STRATEGY, & SHOWCASE

Day 6: Trade & Press Readiness

• Refining the 5-minute trade pitch
• What distributors, sommeliers, and writers want to hear
• Media kit components and style alignment

Day 7: Flight Engineering

• Curating wine flights for different audiences (press, public, VIP)
• Pacing, palate fatigue, emotional arc
• Pairing suggestions with storytelling hooks

Day 8: Experiential Selling

• From pouring to converting: the psychology of DTC wine sales
• Training for authenticity and charisma
• Role-play and script rehearsal

Day 9: Brand Validation Workshop

• Blind tasting with third-party feedback
• Brand pitch roundtable with critique
• Refinement and next-step planning

Day 10: Final Presentation

Review, certificate awarding, next-step consulting offer

Winery team presents a full experience:

Brand story

Guided wine flight

Q&A with judges