Switzerland's gold star
Coop
A story by
Matthias Vollherbst
Collarboration with
The Étoile Dorée wine range is a successful international venture comprising Coop in Switzerland and Vollherbst in Germany, who’ve been partners for over 10 years, and Bravo Design in South Africa. The three wines in the range – Heida, Petite Arvine and Humagne Rouge – are specialties from the Valais canton in Switzerland. Vollherbst client manager Jörg Diringer, who has been involved in the project from the start, tells the story.
Step 01
Brand & Personality
High-altitude wines
Rugged mountains with snow-capped peaks. Terraced vines clinging to the mountainside while the majestic Rhône flows in the valley below. The canton of Valais, in the south of Switzerland, lies entirely in the Alps. Here close on 600 winegrowers cultivate about 5 000 ha of vines, representing a third of the land under vines in Switzerland. Below the village of Visperterminen lies Europe’s highest vineyard with short terraces that wind from 650 m to 1 150 m above sea level.
With a history spanning more than 150 years, nearly 2 500 stores countrywide and more than 90 000 employees, Coop is deeply rooted in Switzerland. In 2020, the group generated 30.2 billion Swiss francs in sales. Coop’s winery, which is part of the Coop production centre Pratteln Salina Raurica, was established in 1907. With a capacity of 7.5 million litres and an annual filling capacity of 40 million wine bottles it’s the largest winery in Switzerland. Wines from all over the world are refined and bottled at the winery, while Coop also does vinification for seven Swiss cantons and produces sparkling wine.
Step 02
Challenge
13 stars and
aromatic heather
The Valaisans are proud of their AOC (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée or Protected Designation of Origin) wines. World-renowned Pinot Noir is the most cultivated grape variety in Valais, making up almost 30% of the canton’s grape production. Other grape varieties grown in the region are Gamay, Chasselas and Petite Arvine.
In 2019, Coop launched the first wine under the Étoile Dorée (gold star) private label. Inspired by the Valais coat of arms which boasts 13 stars, the label was designed by Bravo Design in Cape Town, South Africa. “Coop was looking for a new agency,” Phillip says. “Bravo Design founder and creative director Brenden Schwartz visited us here in Kaiserstuhl at the same time. The partnership was a good fit and the first design for Heida hit the mark immediately.”
Heida is a registered and protected wine name for Valais wines made with Savagnin Blanc grapes. French-speaking Valaisans call it “Païen” (pagan), while in German it’s called “der Heide” (heather). The Savagnin Blanc variety was first documented in Valais in 1586 and belongs to the Traminer family. An aromatic variety, it produces pleasing sparkling wines with citrus and exotic fruit aromas.
Shades of black
for more depth
Step 03
Solution
Shades of black
Print information
- Paper: Fasson Artisan
- Finishing: Gold hot foil stamping, black/white hot foil stamping, prismatic relief embossing
To make the black feel even deeper, an additional shade of black followed with the flexo printing unit.” Like the Valais coat of arms, the gorges on the label were finished with black hot stamping foil. A single star, filigree embossed with a gold hot foil, was added. “This is my favourite gold foil, the 429,” Jörg says. “It’s particularly bright, but beautifully matte.”
The simple but refined label has three colours. Heida is not included in the regular wine range, but is part of the Coop Trophy collection. Twice a year, in the spring and late spring, customers collect loyalty points and can buy wine. “The Heida was one of several wines in the 2019/20 Autumn/Winter Trophy collection, and it proved to be a great success,” Jörg says.
Step 04
Further development
Snow & sunset
Two more wines were added to the Étoile Dorée range in 2020: Petite Arvine and Humagne Rouge. The cultivation of the Petite Arvine grape variety is constantly increasing in Switzerland. It has exotic grapefruit, pineapple and passion fruit aromas teamed with floral accents and a fantastic saltiness. “The label has been adapted to depict a snow-capped mountain and blue evening sky with stars,” Jörg says. “It’s great what you can get out of an original label. It creates a whole different mood.”
The Petite Arvine logically made it into the Spring Trophy collection. It was followed by the Humagne Rouge for the Autumn Trophy collection. The red wine has a clear, cool bouquet of ripe wild berries, spices and violets. “The mountain is jet black again, but the evening sky is lit up in red. The star was given eye-catching prismatic relief embossing and hot foil stamping.” Another wine is planned for 2021.
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Matthias
Vollherbst
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