sales and marketing DESIGN SHOWCASE Small Format Sparklers By a Trio of Sisters

Breathless www.breathlesswines.com

Healdsburg, Calif.

Annual case production: 3,000

Average bottle price: $29

Recent increases in sales of domestic sparkling wine as well as the number of U.S. wineries producing bubbles has been driven by a corresponding increase in the number of facilities with the equipment and knowledge to produce such wines. One of the leading custom-crush wineries supporting the growth of domestic sparkling wine has been Rack & Riddle winery in Sonoma County.

Founded in 2007 by partners and wine industry veterans Bruce Lundquist and Rebecca Faust, the winery produces around 2.2 million cases a year. Shortly after opening Rack & Riddle, Faust went on to launch the Breathless Wine brand with her two sisters Cynthia Faust and Sharon Cohn. Winemaker Penny Gadd-Coster, who has worked with Rebecca Faust at Rack & Riddle since 2007, oversees winemaking for Breathless.

Key to Rack & Riddle’s success has been its ability to produce sparkling wines via méthode champenoise, and Breathless is also committed to this method.

Rebecca Faust remains part of the executive team at Rack & Riddle where Cynthia Faust is the manager of business development. Sharon Cohn, a U.S. Air Force veteran, now handles sales for Breathless as the brand’s “glitz, glamour and panache” on the road. In addition to being a joint venture for the three sisters, the brand is also a memorial to their mother Martha.

Sharon Faust (or “Sister 1 of 3”) said the design for the smaller bottles was an extension of the brand’s commitment to the style of the 1920s.

Designer: 4Parts Design

Bottles: Saxco International

Bottle Manufacturer: Verallia

Closures: Scott Labratories

Capsules: Scott Labratories

Labels: Mepco Label Systems

“We wanted to design a fun bottle in keeping with that theme,” she said. “We also realize opening a full bottle of sparkling wine can be a bit much for one, or even two people, so we wanted to provide options.”

Designed by Hayley McAfee at 4Parts Design, the labels for the 375ml bottles are full shrink wraps in black and gold for the Brut Rosé and blue and gold for the brut.

“From a design standpoint, the wrap-around or full panel aspect was key,” McAfee said in an email. “Being able to design across the whole canvas of the bottle versus the usual couple of inches on a standard label panel—especially on the smaller 375ml gave us the opportunity to express the brand in a pretty unique way.”

Entered into the series category of the 2022 contest, the packaging was praised for its cohesiveness and eye-catching design.

“These wraps really do pop and are appropriate for a celebratory beverage,” one judge noted.

Sharon Faust said she and the rest of the Breathless team continue to evaluate cans, yet they remain concerned about shelf life.

In addition to sparkling wine, Breathless also produces a still Pinot Noir and Chardonnay under screwcap as well as a Chardonnay blended with Pinot Gris and fortified with Eau de Vie. The Ratafia fortified wine is bottled in a square shouldered, clear bottle with a glass bar top closure. Sharon Faust added that they have a new project in the works, but they’re not yet sure what the packaging will be like.

“We guarantee it will be fun,” Sharon Faust said.

Verallia'scommitments forasustainablefuture

-46%* reductionin2030for scope1&2 CO2emissions vs2019

<40% scope3 emissionsbelow 40%oftotalCO2emissions in2030 in2050 for scope1&2 CO2 emissions

*Validatedby ScienceBasedTargetsforscope 1&2(inabsolutevalue)