Why are there so many awful winery names?

And how to avoid the trend

Heard while driving a friend through Sonoma County:

“Why are there so many awful winery names? Who thinks of these names?”

It’s crazy to me that there are so many winery names that are difficult to pronounce (in any language), or easy to pronounce but make no sense, when the name of the winery, brand and vineyard are so incredibly important. These are the names that customers use to remember your wines, and how they tell their friends about the amazing wine they just had. Choosing a name poorly can have a significant effect on sales. If customers can’t remember your name, or if they mispronounce your name, you’ve lost future sales.

I know this for a fact because I once had a wine brand called Libelula. The wines scored well, but no one (even native Spanish speakers), could pronounce it reliably. People who loved the wines would describe it as: the one with the blue label and the dragonfly. Unfortunately you couldn’t search that description online and end up at my winery website. This resulted in single sales, great reviews, much fewer follow up sales and very few recommendations.

Side note: my wine brand closed well before the Libelula Tequila came out (also a blue label with a dragonfly) hmm. I hope they have better luck with the name than I did.

So how do you pick a good name and avoid an awful one? Here are my Do’s and Don’ts, starting with what not to do.Subscribed

Don’ts:

Don’t name your winery after you.

Think about your winery exit plan – yes you need one! At some point in time you will want to retire and stop making and stop selling wine. At this point you may want to sell your winery, hopefully at a profit. Sure you can give it to your kids, but only if you have them and they want the winery (they might not) and they are well equipped to run it (they might not be). But, unless you are hugely successful, the winery brand that you named after you only has value to someone with your same name. This significantly narrows your brand value and the amount you can sell your winery for.

Don’t choose a name in a language or culture that is not local to you or not your language or culture.

There is more going on with this than misappropriating a culture, although that can be an issue and a turn off to consumers. The reality is that wine and winemaking are complex and poorly understood by consumers. Having a name that doesn’t make sense, or that needs a long, equally complex story to explain it, adds to the confusion.

Don’t choose a name that is difficult for your customers to pronounce.

If someone can’t pronounce the name, they can’t tell their friends about it.

Do’s

Do choose a name that corresponds to your region or address

Can you be the first winery with your regions name, or the name of your valley, or mountain? Are you the first winery on a main road? These are great choices for names. This type of name will live on after you have retired or sold the winery. People who are looking for information on the general area will get your winery website listed in the search results. A name like this adds value and worth to your brand.

Do pick a name that is less than 4 syllables and two words or less.

I recognize that multisyllabic words are more prominent some languages than others. So this doesn’t apply across the board. But, once you get past 4 syllables in a word, the more likely it will be mispronounced, misspelled or mangled.

Do be consistent with your themes.

If you have chosen a brand name in a particular language, then all fanciful names for vineyards and blends should be in that language. Being consistent with naming and branding allows your story come through in a way that consumers can relate to. When you are inconsistent customers are less likely to remember you, your wines and your story.

Lastly, do your research.

Always to a trade name and trademark research in your state, region and country. Check the TTB COLA Registry for existing wine labels with the name.

If you are using a fanciful name or a name in a language you are not completely fluent in, make sure you fully research the name to make sure of its true meaning. Check meanings in other major languages for fanciful names. Larger brands than yours have been embarrassed by a name that didn’t translate when them went into a new market.

Good luck!

If you would like to read more of my winery business writings, please check out my Substack page: Level Up Your Winery and subscribe.