Giesen Estate and The August ranges will be first to sport new Giesen crest and updated look and feel.
Renowned New Zealand winemaker, Giesen Group, is rolling out a refreshed look and feel for its celebrated range of wines for the first time in over 10 years, to reflect its ever-evolving wines whilst staying true to its heritage and legacy.
The new branding features an updated Giesen crest and labels, resulting in a fresh face for the high-quality wines that New Zealand wine enthusiasts know and love.
Theo Giesen, Giesen brother and Giesen Group co-owner, says the change comes as the brand continues to evolve its portfolio to include new developments such as its Blush and Giesen 0% wines – without straying from the legacy on which the company has built its strong foundations.
“With our range of wines growing and changing, we think the time is right to update our style while staying true to our legacy – sharing in more than three decades of passion and craft,” says Theo. “We want to make sure our bottles and Giesen crest stay as fresh and exciting as our wines.”
Most notably, the iconic Giesen crest – which has featured on its bottles as a promise of quality since the first vintage in 1984 – has been stylised and refined. In a nod to the brand’s history, the crest incorporates three existing elements – the Southern Cross stars and ship that represent Giesen brothers’ Alex, Theo and Marcel’s journey to Aotearoa; and the swan symbol inspired by those on Lake Ellesmere when the brothers first landed in Canterbury – into its sleek new look.
“The Giesen crest has always been a feature on our labels – even back in the 1980s. Its shape and colour have evolved over time, but it’s always been there,” says Theo. “We wanted our new crest to be classic, clean, and crisp – just like our wines; and to reflect the innovative, vibrant, driven crowd of people working to bring you your favourite wines.”
Beyond the crest, the recognisable coloured ‘dots’ on the front label of Giesen’s Estate wines, which represented the locations of the company’s 13 vineyard locations on a map of Blenheim and Marlborough, have been updated to splashes of wine – resulting in a sleek and modern finish.
Giesen Estate Range
The Estate front labels have also been updated to match the colour of the wine, making it easier to spot a white, red, or rosé. The change is a result of careful consideration of the historical elements of the Giesen brand – including previous labels featuring art by the Giesen brothers’ mother, Gudrun, whose original pieces can still be found around the brothers’ houses and Giesen Group head office.
Beyond its Estate range, Giesen has updated the branding of its The August Sauvignon Blanc, a wine inspired by August Giesen; a sommelier, restaurateur, hotelier, and the Giesen brothers’ grandfather, who was born in 1888.
Featuring a rich new German art-deco inspired look inspired by the design era of the wine’s namesake, both the wine and its label are now a fitting tribute to August Giesen’s legacy – bold, boundary-pushing, and unconventional.
The August Sauvignon Blanc
The Giesen team notes that while the updated branding signifies the evolution of the brand, it’s still the same delicious wine that New Zealanders have grown to love.
“If you’ve known and enjoyed our brand along the way, you might be familiar with some of our older labels,” says Theo. “Every now and again we receive a message from someone with a cellared bottle of our ’95 Riesling or something even older, asking us what they should pair it with when they finally get to enjoy it, which we absolutely love.”
“We think our fresh face looks as good as it tastes, and hope our loyal customers love our refreshed look just as much as we do.”
Aside from the refreshed look, Giesen Group’s newly appointed Chief Winemaker Duncan Shouler adds that above all, the Giesen team aims to make wines that people can enjoy with friends and family at any occasion – and that this season’s vintage are looking better than ever.
“After a harvest that will go down in the history books, we’re over the moon to start sharing our 2020 vintage wines,” says Duncan. “Absolutely spectacular weather conditions means these wines are exceeding all our expectations already.”
Giesen Group also recently launched an adventurous new Uncharted range, which showcases the unmatched taste of Marlborough and pays tribute to the beautiful region in which it grows and makes its celebrated wines.
Giesen Group’s updated branding is rolling out in all good supermarkets and liquor retailers. It will first be available on Giesen’s Estate and The August ranges.