In 2010, the Australian wine category was in free fall. Years of growth fueled by “cheap and cheerful” critter brands had left growth and consumer perception in negative territory and the threat of losing an entire generation of new wine consumers loomed large. Treasury Wine Estates needed a solution to revive the flagging fortunes of their Australian portfolio and simultaneously capture the love and loyalty of emerging Millennial wine drinkers. Use a rising consumer macro-trend to bring a new face to Australian wine. What was old was now fresh. What had patina was the shiniest object of desire. The tradition to these new wine millennials went beyond the winemaking process and into the realm of cultural storytelling. Building on that cultural insight, we pulled inspiration from a cultural period in Australia’s history that no brand had ever thought to explore—the gritty, dark, criminal origins of Australia’s genesis. 19 Crimes has become a legendary case study in the wine industry. It broke all the accepted rules of how quality and origin cues could be conveyed through a brand platform, and it illustrated that convention is oftentimes the anchor to growth. By 2017, over 1 million cases of 19 Crimes had been sold and the brand has continued to thrive with the brand increasing by 62.8% in value and 54.1% in volume YOY in 2020.
Design: Robert Kastigar // Photographer: Helynn Ospina // Stylist: Laura Cook