SPARKLING
CULTURE

The typical Austrian wine drinkers are known to be true connoisseurs. Statistics show that around two-thirds of Austrian wine is consumed locally, indicating the profound appreciation of the domestic population for wine. Less known, however, is that Austrian sparkling wine, or "Sekt", is just as delightful as its famous wine counterpart. Once immersed in the world of Austrian Sekt, there's no turning back. The Sekt Committee confirms: Austria is a veritable treasure trove of various styles, production methods, and signatures.

IT'S
SEKT

In order to make Austrian Sekt competitive on the international stage against top sparkling wines such as Champagne, Cava, Franciacorta, Prosecco, and Crémant, a stronger flavor profile for Austrian Sekt was desired by the responsible association for Austria (the ÖSK). This was anchored in a production pyramid with three levels: Sekt Austria, Sekt Austria Reserve, and Sekt Austria Grand Reserve.

THE WORKSHOP

Before we started designing, it was crucial to gain a comprehensive understanding. It became apparent that there were two main factions with fixed opinions and attitudes within the committee. During the process, consensus had to be reached between major Sekt producers and small winemakers. We mirrored personal preferences with our market research, developed unified approaches for basic brand distribution, and individual strategies for different target groups. The result was a flexible brand model that reflected the diversity of the product and catered to different target audiences.

BECOMING THE STAR

Our studies revealed that most consumers were unfamiliar with the differences between Prosecco, Sekt, Frizzante, and other sparkling wines. Additionally, little was known that Sekt is usually produced with more complexity than Prosecco, and therefore often of higher quality. To achieve a deeper integration of Sekt culture in Austria, it was crucial to create a better understanding of the product. The support of the gastronomy and retail sectors was essential. A multi-stage plan was developed to achieve this goal.

NOT JUST A LOGO

Our goal was to create a culture around a product that was often underestimated compared to others. For this, we developed a design system that delivered outstanding performance on various levels and provided a holistic experience. In addition to a bottle collar, a modular system was developed consisting of various components, including a seal for the bottle, representation of the respective quality level of the Sekt in the form of the Sekt pyramid, an adaptable logo for various applications, an overarching concept for image and video campaigns, and a tonality for communication.

THE PITCH

This project was developed as part of strategic workshops and a subsequent pitch and is currently under review by the OESK. The whole process was pitched (unfortunately how we learned pretty late to a very friendly agency — this could have been a great collab). We look forward to further steps and the implementation of these strategies.

CREDITS