Stories, music inspire California-based winery to unveil innovative labels

Nine wine labels from Orin Swift ― Mercury Head, Machete, 8 years in the desert, Palermo, Mannequin, Blank Stare, Papillon, Abstract, Slander ― is presented at the Orin Swift press luncheon held at J.S. Garden Black, Tuesday. / Courtesy of Wine Review

Winemaker targets younger drinkers seeking trendy wine

By Jung Hae-myoung

Wine consumption in Korea has continued to grow over the past decade partly because of younger drinkers in their 20s and 30s seeking trendier drinks.

The rise of wine and other alcoholic beverage consumption has created a popular phrase in Korea which international winemakers may want to listen to ― "Stories are the best accompaniment for drinks."

Orin Swift, a California-based wine label launched in 1998 by David Phinney, is one of the winemakers paying attention to the wine consumption trend in Korea as it seeks to expand its wine business here.

Phinney says his winery shares the same philosophy with Korean drinkers. He captures a unique story for each of his nine wines and bottles it, adding creative labels.

On Tuesday, Orin Swift held a press luncheon at J.S. Garden Black with Bill McMorran, the general manager of E&J Gallo Winery in Asia Pacific to share their insight into the current wine market in Korea and the rest of Asia.

With the title Master of Wine from London's Institute of Masters of Wine, Nicolas Paris, director of global sourcing for Gallo Winery, also joined the luncheon to explain the nine wine labels, describing the taste, flavor and stories behind the labels and how they were made.

Nicholas Paris explains the background, taste and stories behind the labels for each wine product from Orin Swift./ Courtesy of Wine Review

For Phinney stories, moments and music become the source of creating a label and sometimes the wine itself.

For "Mannequin," a chardonnay, Phinney made it after listening to a song saying "You at a standstill, mannequin." He was reminded of the mannequin's purpose of representing the human form to display clothes. This inspired him to think about the purpose of being; as time passes, fashion like wine, can change but a mannequin never changes.

"It differs for every occasion, but for Mannequin, the name came first and the wine after," he says. From an image of mannequins, Phinney notes he realized this should be a white wine. Although thought of as a white blend, Chardonnay is the dominant taste and we are developing it by adding fragrant tastes.

"For Blank Stare," Phinney tried to convey the female perspective, and tried to add an edgy taste into it by layering it with a photo of eyes cut out.

Like the label, the taste also reflected his message, as it had a richer edge from oak spices with vanilla and also a note of citrus added.

Blank Stare is a sauvignon blanc made by Orin Swift./ Courtesy of Wine Review.

When asked if there was a particular reason behind his decision to bring a 2016 vintage wine to Korea, Bill McMorran replied "One of David Phinney's mottos is to make a wine that people can drink right now."

Contrary to traditional wine makers who keep their wine in oak for many years, Phinney tries to achieve the taste as soon as possible, so people can drink it on the spot.

His innovative approach is also reflected in his concerns for the wine-making process. As he wanted to show an inventive style for Sauvignon Blanc, he decided to focus on a vintner located in the Russian River region in Sonoma County in California. The region was perfect for Sauvignon Blanc, as it had a temperature not too cold and not too hot. As a result it gave a very high concentration and acidity.

Phinney also pays greater attention to bottle design, taking more than 10,000 photos in order to get the right one for Mannequin, and took two weeks to cut out images from magazines he collected over three years to make a label design for "abstract," a Grenache-based wine blended with Syrah and Petite Syrah.

His tailor-made approach to wine originated from his unusual academic background.

Unlike other winemakers, he was a political science and history student in Arizona hoping to become a lawyer. Before his graduation he went to Italy, where he fell in love with wine. Four days after graduation, he went to Napa Valley in California,

"He applied to more than 50 different wineries for a job and got a reply from only one, Robert Mondavi, also an innovative winery in California," McMorran said. "For his first interview, he wore a suit and tie to the wine farm," he said.

After working there for a year, Phinney decided to create his own label in 1998. He took his father's middle name, Orin, and mother's maiden name, Swift for his wine brand.

"As the brand grew large, he had to spend more time on the sales side and less on the label design and production of wine, which are all the things that he really loved to do. Gallo Winery bought Orin Swift in 2016, to help Phinney focus more on his wine-making and seek inspiration for his new batch and portfolio," Mc Morran said.

Bill McMorran, GM of Gallo Winery in Asia, talks about the future of the wine market in Korea./ Courtesy of Wine Review.

Nicholas Paris commented on Orin Swift's flagship wines that could be suitable for wine lovers in Korea, after talking with a few drinkers here.

"I had the opportunity to take several selections of wine with Korean consumers and bloggers. I feel that many of them love styled wine. It was full, aromatic, fruity and rich," Nicholas Paris said.

"I would especially recommend Papillion because it is full bodied and structured. I think it would make a great parallel with many Korean dishes such as black pork and beef based dishes in general," he added.

"I think because of the high quality, complexity and richness, they are much drawn to that and want to try that wine again as well as something different from Orin Swift," he said.

"Another one to note is that the label is incredibly attractive, very artistic. So it draws the consumers to them. If it is the first time they've ever seen it, they are curious and want to know more about what's in the bottle," Paris continued.

For "Mercury Head," Phinney put the Liberty dime, as he got his inspiration from his childhood hobby of collecting different kinds of coins.

During the time when he was making "Papillion," he was seeking eight-letter words to put a prison-style tattoo on someone's knuckles. He suddenly thought of the moment when his young daughter said "Dad look, a Papillon!"

Phinney was surprised to hear his young daughter knew Papillon, "butterfly" in French. The label depicts a stark contrast as the beautiful eight letter French word is tattooed on hands that are extremely attached to reality, Phinney thought it would be great for his wine bottle.

Over the past decade, the Korean wine market has been expanding with increasing demand from young drinkers who experts call the key force that has changed the culture in the wine market.

According to Lotte Chilsung Beverage, more consumers are willing to taste different kinds of wine, rather than ones they are familiar with, and prices don't matter.

Among younger people in their 20s and 30s, "wine bars" are in vogue. Korean wine bars, such as "Glass of wine for Today," sell wine very cheaply, starting from 2,900 won a glass to 18,000 won a bottle.

Traditional wine distribution companies are seeking to make wine more popular among Koreans, as consumers in their 20s are increasing, while male consumers in their 40s are currently stagnant.

On how the wine market might change in Korea, Bill McMorran replied, "we are very excited about the Korean market," Bill McMorran said.

"The wine market in Korea for 2018 grew about 17 percent. With the economy here still growing, we think there could be more, younger consumers getting into wine, which will help the category grow," he continued

"Although many people in Korea are seeking low-price wine at the moment, we think people will soon take an interest in cult wine that gives a sweet taste in balance," he said.