Smashing Magazine - we smash you with the information that will make your life easier. really.

very intersting, thanks :)

Just finnished a site for a winery. About to go live!

wow what a pointless article.

Why bang on about usability in a visual design showcase?

I am currently working on a winebar site (domacinwinebar.com). Seeking some creative ideas and feedback. (wordpress/flash).

A cool flash winery site (disregarding the fact it’s 100% flash, it’s just cool) is Caduceus.org. Great wine too :)

its a nice article awesome!

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.

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!

Oops! Sorry about the typo. “went” not “wnet”. :-)

That Nokia ad up top is obnoxious. Way to go Smashing. This is why I deleted your RSS and stopped visiting.

Love the details on this one… you guys missed it!
http://davinciwine.com/home.html

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).

Much prefer the AUS version of Yellow Tail wine websites, http://www.yellowtailwine.com even the blog is cool looking.

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.

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.

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.

i am unsure how hatten wines got a spot here

Quite inspiring and beautiful, yet so senseless IMHO. Wine is the last product I would research on Internet…

Another great site with links to other Australian winery sites: http://www.coonawarra.org

Check the website of one of the best Macedonian wineries Skovin : Link.

not a winery, but certainly within the context: http://www.theis-vine.dk

This is a beautiful wine site as well. We do work with their importer. http://www.thespanishquarter.com/

great designs representing a variety of companies. here’s one more. Oyster River

Nice list. Adding one more… a Chilean winery Viña Ventisquero

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.

Another good wine web page – http://jaqkcellars.com/

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.

Another excellent label design is Redemption. Each label is produced by a California graphic designer. The Pinot wine is fabulous also

gr8 article..

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.

“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.

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

Italian wine site il Mosnel

One not to miss out…http://www.lindauer.co.nz/