Plumpton college calls on students to help re-brand its wine portfolio

A first-year student at UK wine school Plumpton College has re-designed the institution’s entire wine portfolio to reflect the “increasing quality of English and Welsh wine,” it has been announced.

In collaboration with brand creation specialists Studio Parr, Plumpton College offered students the chance to contribute to the design of the new labels for its Rock Lodge and single varietal ranges of still wines as part of its annual design competition.

The winning designs were by Lizzi Hobcraft, currently in her first year of Plumpton’s foundation diploma in Wine Business.

This year, entrants had to choose from two separate design briefs. Plumpton’s Rock Lodge red, white and rosé blends, for example, required a design to give the wine “a sense of place, inspired by the vineyard”.

The second brief was dedicated to the college-cum-winery’s single varietal Bacchus wine, which needed a design brief focusing on the “craftsmanship and beauty of detail,” in a bid to position the drink as a premium product.

Hobcraft, who ran her own lingerie business before enrolling at the college, said that injecting creativity into the labels “a breath of fresh air.”

“It’s really exciting to have won the competition and be working on a project to inspire and engage people with wine, through colourful and creative labelling.”

The new branding was launched at Plumpton’s Open Day and Spring Fair on 12 May.

Chris Foss, head of Plumpton’s wine division, said: “With the evident success of the English wine industry, we need to attract more students into the sector, and involve them in all aspects of wine production, including business and branding.”