The Opportunity
In a wine category often crowded by embellishment, Mount Olympus takes a more disciplined approach.
The Mount Olympus vineyards are located in the foothills of the mountain, where the elevation and unique terrain shape the character of the grapes grown. Benefiting from a Mediterranean climate, the vineyard enjoys warm, sunny days and cool nights, which help the vines develop balanced ripeness and freshness. These unique vineyard conditions and mature vines contribute to the distinctive aromas found in the wines, offering a sensory profile that highlights the region’s terroir.
The opportunity was to create a premium wine packaging system that felt timeless, modern and unmistakably connected to New Zealand. Rather than layering on detail, the design centres around a singular visual idea: the mountain itself. Rendered in cool blue tones and framed by a clean, understated layout, it becomes both the emotional heart of the label and its strongest distinctive asset.
The result is a brand world that feels pure, composed and quietly commanding on shelf.
The Challenge
For premium wine, restraint can be one of the hardest things to get right.
Mount Olympus needed a packaging identity that could communicate quality, provenance and confidence without drifting into cliché or overstatement. It had to feel elevated enough for the premium end of the category, yet simple enough to stand apart from the visual noise that dominates many wine shelves.
The label also needed to balance art and information: create an immediate emotional cue through imagery, while still making varietal, vintage, origin, and important terms – such as recognised designations and classifications related to wine quality and authenticity – easy to read and trust.
The Insight
The strongest wine brands often do less, but do it with greater conviction.
Consumers still look for familiar trust markers such as varietal, vintage and region, but memorability often comes from one clear, ownable idea. In this case, the mountain became more than an illustration. It became a symbol of purity, altitude, aspiration and place.
That clarity gave the brand its power. By stripping the label back and allowing one image to do the heavy lifting, Mount Olympus Wines could feel premium, distinctive and emotionally resonant all at once.
The Creative
We created a packaging system built around quiet confidence.
At the centre of the label sits a cropped mountain illustration in a vivid field of blue – a simple but powerful visual device that captures the majesty of the name while giving the brand an immediate focal point. It introduces atmosphere and scale without needing to over-explain the story.
Around it, the design is intentionally restrained. A softly textured white label stock adds tactility and premium warmth, while the typography remains elegant and understated. The Mount Olympus name leads with calm authority, supported by clearly set varietal, vintage and provenance cues below.
This balance of image and restraint gives the brand a strong shelf signature. The mountain provides emotion and distinctiveness; the clean structure provides trust and ease of navigation. Together, they create a label that feels both classic and contemporary.
The back label continues that sense of discipline, keeping information clear and functional without breaking the premium tone of the overall system. Tasting notes on the back label highlight the wine’s nose, palate, and acidity, and suggested food pairing.
The Outcome
The final identity gives Mount Olympus Wines a premium presence built on simplicity, symbolism and strong visual discipline.
It feels elevated without becoming cold, artistic without losing commercial clarity, and regional without leaning on predictable wine tropes. Most importantly, it proves that a single strong idea, executed with restraint, can do more for brand memory than layers of decoration ever could.
Mount Olympus is designed to stand tall on shelf – elegant at a distance, rewarding up close, and built to leave a lasting impression.
Mount Olympus Wine Brand and Packaging
A refined wine label system inspired by the altitude, purity and quiet power
Client
Mount Olympus Wines
Industry
Wine
Expertise
Brand Strategy
Range Architecture
Brand Identity
Packaging Design
Brand System