Werewolf in
the wine cellar
Winegrowers
Cooperative
Wolfenweiler
A story by
Armin Kyre
Collaboration with
Winzergenossenschaft Wolfenweiler
since 1988
A mystical creature: Half-wolf, half-human. A mysterious drink: Half-wine, half-herbs. The Wolfenweiler Winegrowers’ Cooperative has boasted the town’s heraldic symbol on its labels since the 1990s. And in 2019, Vollherbst brought the Werewolf vermouth label to life.
Step 01
Brand
The one who drinks
...with the wolf
Today, the principle of origin is again topical in the wine industry. The Wolfenweiler Winegrowers’ Cooperative already recognised this fact in the 1990s – and incorporated the wolf from the Schallstadt-Wolfenweiler municipality coat of arms in its brand labels.
The so-called Leitwölfe is at the heart of all the wine brands made from typical Baden grape varieties. The grapes are supplied by about 320 winegrowers.
In 2004, former Wolfenweiler Winegrowers’ Cooperative head Ernst Nickel, former Vollherbst Labels chief Dr Franz-Josef Vollherbst and Vollherbst Labels customer manager Armin Kyre came up with the idea to add the tag line Der mit dem Wolf
(The one with the wolf).
In fact, the idea arose from necessity. Hail had destroyed almost 80% of the wine harvest in Wolfenweiler, so grapes from other areas had to be bought in to supply customers. The description Wolfenweiler could no longer be used on the label, but the tag line Der mit dem Wolf stuck. The success of the 1990 film Dances with Wolves, starring Kevin Costner, did the rest. “The branding of the Wolfenweiler Winegrowers’ Cooperative has been extremely successful,” Armin says. “Everyone knows the wolf and its fame in Baden.”
Step 02
Challenge
A werewolf that runs
with the pack.
The young Wolfenweiler cellar master Felix Vogelbacher had for some time toyed with the idea of creating a vermouth. When Florian R Joos took over as Wolfenweiler managing director in 2019, he couldn’t help but be infected by Felix’s enthusiasm and decided to run with the idea. “In the midst of the gin craze, we felt the time was right to launch a vermouth,” he says.
Felix immediately set to work to develop the recipe. In-house white wines, including Müller-Thurgau, were used for the base and blended with herbal additives such as vermouth (artemisia absinthium) and citrus aromatics before being fortified to 17.5% alcohol. The liquor was distilled by the winemakers to create a Baden classic. The exact recipe for Der Obstler remains a cellar secret. Its distinctive werewolf label fits in with the pack. And not only when it’s full moon.
We’ve worked with Vollherbst for many years. The entire process works smoothly, from presentations and prepress to navigation of wine legalities and finalising the job.
Felix Vogelbacher
WG Wolfenweiler
Mystical
and modern
Step 03
Solution
A mystical design with a modern twist.
José Strubinger took on the job of designing the label. “It was fun working as a team and we quickly came up with this wolf design.” The wolf has a Native American or Maori appearance. Its fur resembles an ornate mandala. “You can fall in love with the details. We left a lot of white space so the design could work.And we opened the wolf’s eyes.”
Print facts
- Material: Martele Blanc
- Finishing: Relief varnish and hot foil stamping gold
- Special features: 360° Label
The eyes are printed with a gold tone and the lower eyelids are emphasised with black kohl. The nose and the dark parts of the ears are enhanced with relief varnish. “That’s really all there is to it, but as a whole it achieves the desired effect.”. The other elements of the label are based on the existing corporate design. “We used Martele Blanc paper with a slightly hammered texture, but as a band,” Phillip says. The label goes almost all the way around the bottle.” The classic lettering is embossed with gold foil reminiscent of the other Wolfenweiler Werewolf labels.
Step 04
Personal Touch
A mobile bar, silver medal and Werewolf Rosé.
The white Werewolf vermouth did the rounds in Freiburg in the spring and summer of 2019 and also crossed the Alps with a “Flying-Bar”. “My friends own a mobile cocktail bar and it was a terrific space for our vermouth,” Florian says. Mixed with soda and basil, for example, the Werewolf became the Green Werewolf. A supermarket in Freiburg gave the Werewolf a cool twist with basil and lemon. The Werewolf found more followers at trade fairs and is now also listed in concept stores and specialist shops in the Ruhr region. And last year it won silver at the Meiningers International Spirits Awards.
Last year, in the late summer the Werewolf acquired a fruity rosé blush. “Our cellar master used his own approach, adding regional strawberries and liquor,” Florian says. The Werewolf Rosé label was given a splash of pink and successfully teamed with the white Werewolf.
“We’ve worked with Vollherbst for many years,” Florian says. “The entire process works smoothly, from presentations and prepress to navigation of wine legalities and finalising the job. We’re also very satisfied with their price performance – even a small-to-medium-sized company such as ours can afford their in-house expertise.”
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Armin
Kyre
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