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Captivating Winery Websites For Your Inspiration
From the Napa Wineries in California to the vineyards of Australia and France, the beautiful designs of these wine maker’s websites embody the spirit of the vine. Trends for winery websites have been leaning towards a dynamic Flash introduction, animation and beautiful graphics, which would give the best representation of the products for the target market.
While sites have gone in the direction of a more modern and contemporary approach with fresh and sleek designs, others have taken the more traditional route by captivating their users with the bold earthy Tuscan colors and impressive graphics and art.
There is much to consider when designing a site for a wine maker. Use your creativity to promote the wine and winery, so that the quality portrayed encourages users to inquire how to contact, where and how to buy, and even obtain information on upcoming events.
Good design ≠ Good visual design
Unfortunately, winery sites strongly focus on the visual design, while best usability practices are often ignored. For instance, some web-sites do not offer a search functionality and use hardly readable content (and the size of the text can not be increased, because the text is embedded into a Flash-animation). Besides, since many sites are Flash-based, it’s also impossible to bookmark a specific page, although (in general) it can be achieved in Flash).
When good visual design fails: the font-size of the text on Dancing Bull Wines can not be scaled up; for many users it may be way too small for comfortable reading.
A good design is not a good visual design; good design is rather a balanced combination of good visual design and usability, resulting in the positive user experience. In our experience, too many sites appear to be very complex and hard to navigate, because in the trade-off between visual design and usability designers often decide against the latter one.
Winery Websites For Your Inspiration
With that in mind, we share with you 40 captivating wine maker’s websites displaying some examples how it can be a rewarding experience – please notice that these sites often can be improved in terms of usability.
Bonus: Wine & Beer Bottle Design Tutorials
Wine bottles make exceptional design elements. Following are a few “how to create wine bottle tutorials” – we have added them to this article, since they would add value to this article.
Realistic Decorated Wine Bottle Illustration
Create a Realistic Wine Bottle Illustration From Scratch
Photoshop Glass Bottle Technique
Illustrating a Cool Glass of Beer in Photoshop
Beverage Ad Enhancer in Photoshop
Design Beer Glass and Bottle in Photoshop
Further Resources
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Loading ...- 69 Comments
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- 2May 3rd, 2009 6:46 am
Cool, thanks!
- 3May 3rd, 2009 7:30 am
Just finnished a site for a winery. About to go live!
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- 5May 3rd, 2009 7:43 am
wow what a pointless article.
Why bang on about usability in a visual design showcase?
- 6May 3rd, 2009 7:47 am
I’m not keen on any of these other than Tenuta dell’Ornellaia, which is a good corporate layout.
You missed off Black Estate, which is one of the most best sites I have seen in a long while:
- 7May 3rd, 2009 8:01 am
I am currently working on a winebar site (domacinwinebar.com). Seeking some creative ideas and feedback. (wordpress/flash).
- 8May 3rd, 2009 8:01 am
The Image and the link of “Create a Realistic Wine Bottle Illustration From Scratch” and “Realistic Decorated Wine Bottle Illustration” are mismatch. They should be swapped.
(SM) thanks, fixed!
- 9May 3rd, 2009 8:13 am
A cool flash winery site (disregarding the fact it’s 100% flash, it’s just cool) is Caduceus.org. Great wine too :)
- 10May 3rd, 2009 8:48 am
nice one …
- 11May 3rd, 2009 8:52 am
its a nice article awesome!
- 12May 3rd, 2009 9:06 am
As a commercial artist, I really enjoyed and appreciate the creativity that wnet into these sites. Great post!
- 13May 3rd, 2009 9:26 am
nice one … but sorry to say that the google rss feed is no longer working
(SM) what do you mean? We just checked it and it seems to work just fine.
- 14May 3rd, 2009 9:29 am
Take it from a designer (web & print) and major wine geek. The better the site…the worse the wine.
The best wines come from small producers in rural France/Italy. It sells itself without SEO, Flash or AJAX involved. Not a Twitterer in the bunch.
Cheers,
Michael - 15May 3rd, 2009 9:30 am
These are sadly, almost all the same: dull, drab, and conformist.
Sad. Really is. There are a lot better examples of progressive interaction design than these (and yes, I am talking about the global wine, spirits, and beverage industry)
(SM) please share a couple of these examples with us, Craig!
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- 17May 3rd, 2009 9:51 am
Oops! Sorry about the typo. “went” not “wnet”. :-)
- 18May 3rd, 2009 9:55 am
Great sites, but the De Saint Gall and The Little Penguin are wrong with the reflection.
Cheers.
- 19May 3rd, 2009 10:31 am
That Nokia ad up top is obnoxious. Way to go Smashing. This is why I deleted your RSS and stopped visiting.
- 20May 3rd, 2009 11:12 am
Black estate has a really cool site!
- 21May 3rd, 2009 11:41 am
Love the details on this one… you guys missed it!
http://davinciwine.com/home.html - 22May 3rd, 2009 11:47 am
Great article! Here a dutch wine web site with a great design: http://wijnenwereld.nl/assortiment.php
- 23May 3rd, 2009 11:48 am
There’s a lot of value on the wine labels and the cork, they give the identity to the bottle, and the vineyard, but it seems that’s not taken into account in the design of those websites, since most of them are pretty ugly. (except for a few examples).
- 24May 3rd, 2009 2:30 pm
Wine sites really cater to a select group (people who REALLY enjoy wine.) For the rest of us, they are pretty simple, 5 page sites with not much else.
- 25May 3rd, 2009 2:37 pm
Much prefer the AUS version of Yellow Tail wine websites, http://www.yellowtailwine.com even the blog is cool looking.
- 26May 3rd, 2009 2:52 pm
Thanks for featuring one of our designs (the Rocky Creek Winery site)! I’ve really enjoyed looking through the other sites listed here – quite a few that I hadn’t seen before.
Cheers!
- 27May 3rd, 2009 3:07 pm
If anyone is interested in checking out a few of the better BC winery website designs, I’d recommend: Road 13 Vineyards, Laughing Stock, and Dirty Laundry.
- 28May 3rd, 2009 4:25 pm
a lot of them seem to be “all show no trousers”.
i have a distinct dislike of flash too which precludes me from liking most of those sites!
- 29May 3rd, 2009 5:47 pm
Most commenters here are either design snobs and flash police, mumbling about ‘ugliness’ and disliking usage of flash. Grow up people. Keep up the good work Smagzine.
- 30May 3rd, 2009 6:16 pm
Nice list, Im not sure on some of them…
I was doing some research for a wine website im about to make and the two I most liked we’re http://www.someyoungpunks.com.au and http://www.jacobscreek.com .
- 31May 3rd, 2009 7:18 pm
While the use of flash and other fancy animation is considered by many to be necessary, I abhor it. There is absolutely no need for ANY website to have any flash on the landing page — XYZ.com — especially without a clear way to bypass that page. The landing page for any business website should be plain, simple and informative. As plain as google, but more informative.
Wineries, for example, should include a product listing, direct or CSS and information about the location of the winery, including the GPS coordinates. I like manyof my fellow wine lovers like to visit wineries, and since consumer GPS devices resolve street address using ‘rubber-band’ technology having the GPS coordinates there in a handy cut-and-paste format is a good thing for those wineries that sell direct to the public.
- 32May 3rd, 2009 7:45 pm
hi Leif @no 27
apart from saying it ‘better’, They’re actually…. some boring looking sites. - 33May 3rd, 2009 10:44 pm
i am unsure how hatten wines got a spot here
- 34May 3rd, 2009 10:55 pm
Nice article, some good looking sites but not so many pushing the envelope on design. I like this one http://www.dombeyawines.com .
- 35May 3rd, 2009 11:07 pm
Quite inspiring and beautiful, yet so senseless IMHO. Wine is the last product I would research on Internet…
- 36May 4th, 2009 12:24 am
Excellent article. I think you will also find interesting the design of our Facebook application called “Wanna Wine?” (Wanna Wine?). The bottles are inspired in one of the recommended tutorials.
- 37May 4th, 2009 12:25 am
Another great site with links to other Australian winery sites: http://www.coonawarra.org
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- 44May 4th, 2009 1:51 am
Great list – Don’t forget the wines from South Africa:
Graham Beck wines: http://www.grahambeckwines.com/ - 45May 4th, 2009 4:07 am
This is a beautiful wine site as well. We do work with their importer. http://www.thespanishquarter.com/
- 46May 4th, 2009 6:41 am
Interesting designs. It seems winery’s are either going Elegant & Sophisticated or Playful in their overall marketing campaigns. I for one enjoy all wines (mainly reds) from the 5$ bottles at the grocery store to the 1000$ Rothchild’s; it’s nice to see vineyards are marketing to all audiences in the modern world. Good stuff Smashing!
- 47May 4th, 2009 7:01 am
great designs representing a variety of companies. here’s one more. Oyster River
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- 50May 4th, 2009 1:11 pm
Thanks for the search, it’s great for me, i’m a young webdesigner french and i’ll go to create my first wine website for my school, it’s beautiful description!
Thanks a lot from france! - 51May 4th, 2009 3:57 pm
Nice gallery. Given I have worked on several major label wine sites of late this was a good bit of inspiration.
And I fail to see why some people are so negative against these kind of articles – I have been in this industry for over 19 years and still find some joy in appreciating others work.
- 52May 4th, 2009 3:58 pm
I like that Ozzie website that lists all wine tour operators down under wine tours down under.com.au I think
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- 54May 6th, 2009 10:42 am
90% of these sites are tacky, over-the-top, themey drivel. Sorry to be such a snob, but maybe SM should focus more on quality over quantity.
Frog’s Leap? Really?
- 55May 6th, 2009 11:46 am
Believe it or not, Virginia has been moving up in the wine world – when I moved here in 1989, there were about 60 wineries. The number is up around 175 now.
Here are a few lovely and simple sites – no flash at all:http://www.chathamvineyards.net/
http://www.cardinalpointwinery.com/
http://www.mountfair.com/It do think “the better the site, the worse the wine” is a generalization, but is something to think about. Smaller wineries are usually focused on making the wine – and making it the best it can be given their particular location/resources. Marketing is way down on the list unless there is a lot of money to be tossed about.
- 56May 7th, 2009 7:46 am
I’d like to throw out a wine site I developed for your consideration:
http://www.winesofsubstance.com - 57May 7th, 2009 3:05 pm
Another excellent label design is Redemption. Each label is produced by a California graphic designer. The Pinot wine is fabulous also
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- 59May 8th, 2009 2:51 am
gr8 article..
- 60May 10th, 2009 9:50 am
Throwing in my family’s winery, Forty-Five North, for which I designed and developed the website: http://fortyfivenorth.com
- 61May 12th, 2009 2:02 am
Sharon,
Thanks for this article very useful to find inspiration.
If you have time I’d be happy you review our websites : see Vinternet Portfolio (vinternet is a web agency specialized in the wine business in France since 1995).
We put a lot of efforts in trying to find the right approach, content & services and
design for the website according to client’s profil, objectifs and budget also (;-)).
Trying not to be over the top nore bellow.
Always learn a lot on each new project
I’m looking forward to reading you and see which one’s your fav. - 62May 15th, 2009 5:48 am
What are we inspiring ‘Mystery Meat Navigation’? These look like sites ‘designed for designers’ not users.
- 63May 16th, 2009 7:04 am
“wow what a pointless article.
Why bang on about usability in a visual design showcase?”- This is the most stupid comment i’ve heard in years. Every design must have usability to sell. Why have a website if no one reaches it or if it has a 90% bounce rate. Only poor webdesigners think its impossible to have a beautiful yet clean and usable site.
- 64May 17th, 2009 1:14 pm
wow, so nice designs that I’m totally desperate will I ever be able to create such a nice site :(
- 65May 17th, 2009 6:20 pm
Recently finished work on a site that is related to both this post and your next one (magento templates). A wine shop… in Magento! – Carrick Wines
- 66May 21st, 2009 8:33 pm
Some inspiring designs, some not so.
Turning Leaf is my favourite on that list. Tenuta dell’Ornellaia wasn’t too bad either.
Fantesca Winery isn’t a bad example. - 67
- 68July 16th, 2009 2:16 pm
Two of the featured websites (Robert Mondavi and Domaine Chandon) were crafted nearly three years ago by the folks at theBATstudio, when they were at their previous company. Interestingly, while very proud of these websites, we recognize that much of their functionality could be developed using HTML/CSS/Javascript rather than Flash – which would provide both a beautiful experience AND a higher degree of usability and SEO. Additionally, studies of user-behavior have significantly advanced our ability to compel certain behaviors and actions, which any winery website could benefit from. Look for a series of whitepapers from BAT in the Fall on these and similar topics.
- 69August 22nd, 2009 3:03 pm
I suggest you take a look at what Sacre Bleu Wine is doing. Here’s how it’s done. http://sacrebleuwine.com/
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very intersting, thanks :)