Over the past 8 months or so, UK Fizz has been working on a large rebranding project with Mayländer Wine, transforming a local, small run wine label into a major international luxury brand. Curated by Bernd Mayländer, the official Formula One Safety Car driver, these wines represent the ultimate in passion and precision. With a goal to simultaneously highlight the legacies of motorsport and great wine growing, we sourced new glass, labels, and packaging, built out new social media and e-comm integrated web platforms, and consulted on a range of event, marketing, and promotional activities. It’s been a whirlwind to say the least but we are incredibly proud of what we’ve created together.
While the link between wine and motorsport might not always be obvious, the timing could not be better. This month, the iconic Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire will celebrate the 75th anniversary of Formula One, where the very first FIA Grand Prix World Championship was held in May 1950. As it happens, 2025 is also the 25th anniversary of Bernd Mayländer’s tenure as safety card driver. Formula One is much more than cars and a track; it is a lifestyle and it’s been an honor to highlight a spirit of tradition, excitement, and ambition, and to bring Mayländer Wine to life.
To make this vision a reality, we knew that every single detail would matter, and the need to appeal to both wine connoisseurs and motorsports enthusiasts was a thrilling challenge. We wanted to create not just a beautiful package, with extraordinary wine; but an experience, and a connection to the history and passion associated with both fine wine and racing. Every bottle of Mayländer Wine tells a story, and we worked with a variety of carefully selected UK and International vendors to make sure Bernd’s passion for carefully crafted wines came to light.
Knowing Estal’s commitment to sustainability, storytelling, and sleek design, selecting bottles from their innovative and emotive lineup was an easy choice. The connection to motorsport required something unique but traditional, and something with gravitas and longeivity. The Emblem series embodies the qualities we were looking for and we elected the Eco model for Mayländer’s Apex Series (in Antico, Wild Dark, and Extra Flint). This included a 375ml version of the Emblem Eco for our “minis” collection, produced specifically for gift sets and motorsport festivals.
Sustainability was important to us here too, and we ultimately selected the Bourrassé produced Cristal III, a micro-cork closure made from recycled cork pulp. For us, it was important that the cork preserved the high-end quality of the wine itself, but also reflected the importance of the brand as a collector’s item. While Mayländer Wine should definitely be enjoyed, we wanted to create a pieces of the story that motorsports fans especially could keep. For us, this meant including brand recognition on the cork itself in the form of the Mayländer logo and crest, but also in the classic and recognisable chequered flag pattern. We love the result, especially when used in our clear bottle rosé, which we have chosen to leave without a capsule.
This experience underscored that wine is so much more than its tasting notes. It’s a narrative of passion, a connection to the land, and the meticulous care and love that goes into every bottle.
Continuing the chequered flag motif across the bottles many design elements, Mayländer’s bespoke capsules also signal motorsport and luxury wine at the same time. Each bottle in the Apex series stands out, whether online, or on the shelf, with bold, classic colours, and a subtle pattern that draws attention. The slight colour variation is also a contrast of matte and gloss finish, and the Mayländer embossed crest on the top of the Crealis capsule quite literally “seals” the effect.
One of the most challenging design elements we had as a creative team, was finding a way to integrate the Mayländer family crest. For us, this meant working with Bernd to adapt the crest into a more graphic format that would serve multiple purposes, across the bottle range, other merchandise, and through web and social media platforms. We simplified the crest, while including all of the vital traditional elements such as the shielding, mantle, helm, and animal figures. We approached Signet to help us turn this design into a metallic embellishment that would sit above the label, on the neck of the bottle, and produced multiple colour variations that would align with the different varietals Mayländer has produced.
Our brief for label design was perhaps our most ambitious yet: Design and execute a bespoke luxury label, for a motorsports-affiliated wine brand, across six varietals, that people will want to both drink and display. Naturally we accepted! Like other project elements, we wanted to evoke the spirit of motorsport but maintain a classic and timeless aesthetic. Working with Royston Labels, we elected to use a black textured stock as our base layer, to add weight to the label and replicate the feel of tire tread. Other textured elements included gloss and matte varnish to represent lines on a racetrack, and embossed foil accents, including the Mayländer name. Like the crests and packaging, these metallic foils reflect the varietal in the bottle, whether gold, silver, or rose gold. Lastly, we introduced some indicative Formula One imagery that added to the overall luxury-feel of the label, for instance, the five red starting lights, and offered a slight nod to famous racing circuits by incorporating a custom foil die cut along the top edge that mimics a notable section of track. The Zewigelt label, for instance, as homage to Silverstone and its enduring legacy, is die cut according to the lines of the well-known Maggots and Becketts chicane. Each varietal in the Apex series showcases a distinct track, making the overall label a bold and elegant design for wine lovers and racing enthusiasts alike.
Reinforcing the collector’s potential of Mayländer Wine, each bottle purchased includes a luxury gift box. We designed this to reflect the different red, white, or rosé wines in Mayländer’s portfolio, and added slight hints of motorsport imagery to ensure the packaging would appeal to a large audience. The reflective shadow of a race car is suggestive of Formula One without losing the overall luxury appeal, while the checkered insert around the bottle neck adds an element of race lore that is both fun and practical. We used a combination of matte and high gloss, along with metallic foil to add texture and visual interest. We worked with Clyde Packaging in Glasgow to bring our packaging vision to life, and ensure the box dimensions, finishing, and construction was a durable and protective shield, while being worthy of a top shelf display itself.
The finer details in design are crucial for grabbing attention, sharing important information, and evoking emotion in your audience. A good design offers a variety of avenues through which someone might connect to your story, but also ensures everything works together as a whole, and gives a glimpse of what one might expect when they taste your wine. Knowing that a winemaker has paid close attention to the design of a bottle, label, and packaging is a good indication that they’ve carried that same level of awareness into the wine itself.
If you’re thinking about any element of re-brand, talk to us about how we can help make sure every element of your product is telling the story you need it to. Even the obvious aspects of design, like corks and closures, can have major impact on how an audience perceives your wine. We’re here to help your story stand out, one small detail at a time.
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