The text below was written by Aslı Kuzu, second-generatioWineryn representative of the family behind Kuzubağ Wines. At WAYANA, we’re deeply aware of the importance that wine labels hold for producers as an essential element of wine culture. We’ll continue to share insights about labels in the future as well. Here, we listen to Kuzubağ Wines’ perspective on labels in Aslı’s own words.
When we first decided to go into winemaking, we already knew how significant—even crucial—a wine label could be. We’ve always paid attention to labels and design, and we truly enjoy looking at a beautiful piece of design.
The question of who would design our label never really echoed in our minds, because it had always been our dream to create something together with my childhood friend, designer Elif Tanman, who lives in London. As soon as we were ready, I shared the exciting news with her that the time had finally come, and we immediately began brainstorming together.
Besides deeply trusting Elif’s creative eye and vision, one of the most meaningful parts for me about working with her is that, since we were ten years old, she’s visited Hançalar—the town where our winery and vineyards are located—many times with me. She knows this town, this region, the people, and the geography intimately and has been a part of our winery dream for years. That makes it all the more special for me.
We always knew we wanted to create a label that was simple, minimal, with plenty of negative space, and one that stands out quietly without shouting for attention. While I really admire designs made purely with typography, I’ve always felt that including a figure brings warmth and makes a label more memorable. With these thoughts in mind, dear Elif began researching and came across coins excavated from ancient cities in our region and the figures depicted on them. Some figures were holding a wine glass, others seemed to be raising a toast. These images were, in a way, proof that winemaking has been part of this region for thousands of years.
Drawing inspiration from these ancient images, Elif created the figures that appear on our labels. Because wine is a drink meant to be shared and enjoyed together, she designed figures who are drinking wine together and having a good time. Then my sister’s husband, Tom Fellows, who is an artist, added a few small touches to Elif’s initial drawings and refined all of them in a consistent illustration style. In the end, we achieved a label that is simple, prioritizes negative space, and yet feels playful and friendly. We like to think that our winery and our wines express themselves with elegance and subtle confidence. So, our labels are very much in harmony with the overall philosophy of Kuzubağ.
The figures on the labels of our four single-varietal red wines (Öküzgözü, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot) come from the various representations of the Tree of Life, a motif deeply rooted in the weaving traditions of our region. The Tree of Life symbolizes eternity, reminding us that these grapes and wines have always existed and always will.
On our Öküzgözü–Shiraz blend, the “eli belinde” motif we used symbolizes fertility, which holds special meaning for us. The use of the motif twice on the label represents the blend of the two grape varieties. Thanks to Elif’s redesign of this motif, we created a unique version that belongs just to us. This wine, born from two different grape varieties coming together, feels like Elif and me walking arm in arm through our childhood days. 😊
Our wine Hemhâl has one of our most sophisticated labels, but even there, we didn’t want to stray far from our own style and design language. For this Bordeaux blend—the Kuzubağ interpretation—we wanted to create a Kuzubağ version of traditional kilim patterns. Elif designed a motif based on the letter K, whose curling corners also echo the way vines wrap around trellis wires. To keep the wine’s name in the spotlight, we printed it in bold letters, while the motif was only embossed onto the paper, giving it a subtle, mysterious presence without being loud.
In Turkey, wine is often perceived as a very serious drink. The people who make it are serious, those who drink it are serious, everything feels so serious. But in reality, we are creating something connected to pleasure. That’s why we didn’t want our labels to feel overly rigid or severe. Traditional, Old World wine labels often leave a big impression on us, sometimes making us associate appeal with gold foils and flashy finishes. But we’ve noticed that people who love modern and different designs tend to really appreciate our labels. And that’s completely normal—tastes and colors are personal, after all! 😊Ultimately, what we hope for is that our labels are seen as fun, simple, expressive, bold without being loud, and well-designed. Of course, whether someone likes them or not is entirely up to personal taste. At the end of the day, a good label might convince someone to buy a wine once—but to make them come back and buy it again, what really matters is what’s inside the bottle. That’s something we should never forget!
