Matias Riccitelli has an extensive background in winemaking. His father is an Argentine legend in the field. Something he acknowledges in the naming of his Torrontes, The Apple Doesn’t Fall From the Tree. But Matias plots his own path with adventurous experimentation. That spirit extends to his branding and packaging.
Matias’ personal branding is a funky piece of modern typography. His choices of artwork to adorn his wines are varied and often unusual. Even the arrangement and prominence of information defy norms of hierarchy. A good example is the name of this Malbec. It is called The Party but you’ll only discover that on the back label.
On the front label, the party is a frame-filling piece of art. It appears to be an early twentieth-century masked ball. Revelers in muted tones of red and orange garb, cavort, and raise glasses of wine. Their faces covered in masks of feathers and prominent beaks. Stately columns in the background add to the grandeur of the event. Below the illustration in bold, black type are the aforementioned logotype, varietal, vintage, origin, and an unexpected statement on fermentation and aging. The latter is information typically expressed in winemaker’s notes on the back label.
The back label has its own anomalies. The typography changes completely. The wine name, The Party, looks out of synch set in italic, serif upper case type. Typically, winemaking and tasting notes would follow below. Instead, we jump quickly to brief points about style, taste, and food matching. Besides that, accompanied by graphic symbols are wine body and vegan suitability notes. This information placement cuts to the chase. In a world where attention is limited, it communicates quickly. Even the notes below are brief for those seeking to know a bit more. From there, your eyes are pulled past the rest of the required information to the extremely bold volume and alcohol figures.
One other unusual detail. The enclosure. There is no capsule. You can see the branded cork inside. A white wax seal tops it off.
Describing wine is subjective. I’d argue that this wine is a little more full than the medium notation on the label. Which is my preference anyway. Riccitelli’s winemaking process has created an atypical Malbec. Though the fruit is dark, the taste is fresh and vibrant with great depth.
Rule breaking comes with risks. Relegating the product name to the back label could hurt sales of this wine. If you were searching for it by name, would you find it? The illustration has its charm but that needs to be bolstered by the name. What a natural this wine would be for dinner parties or elegant events if the connection between the name and artwork was more obvious.
