State commission seeks to create unique identity

By SEAN ELLIS

Capital Press

BOISE -- Idaho's wine industry recently got a complete makeover with a new logo, website, brochure and ads.

The $300,000 rebranding effort took Idaho's 43 wineries and 1,600 vineyard acres and gave them one face.

"We wanted everything to go together, to have a flow," said Idaho Wine Commission Executive Director Moya Shatz, who led the rebranding effort.

The makeover project by the IWC was officially completed in February and was paid for in part through a $100,000 federal grant.

The new logo features an outline of Idaho on a wine glass and distinctly and quickly identifies the Gem State, unlike the previous logo.

"The previous logo was a fine looking logo," Shatz said. "But it could be Washington wine, California wine, it could be any wine region in the world and you wouldn't know the difference. We wanted something that said who we are, so when you see an ad, you immediately know it is the Idaho Wine Commission."

The IWC's new website tells the story of Idaho wine and includes events, tours and maps so people can explore Idaho's wine country.

The site includes a members' forum for Idaho's wineries so they can share information and interact virtually.

"The website is pretty darn amazing," Shatz said. "It's cohesive. It belongs. It tells a story. It's a great, great resource."

Jo Schnerr, co-owner of Cinder Wines in Boise, said the IWC, and Shatz in particular, did a brilliant job of reshaping the face of Idaho's wine industry.

"When you have a great looking website, a great looking logo, a succinct message and a good looking story, that helps the industry as a whole," he said. "It was a great effort and it's a great opportunity for us to come together as an industry."

Schnerr said a lot of the success of wineries and vineyards in a geographic area is dependent on how the entire region is perceived.

"We're hoping that Idaho and the Snake River Valley starts to register with people; that there is a wine industry here and we make world-class wines," he said.

Online

Idaho Wine Commission: www.idahowines.org