Michael David Winery put its family name into the glass, not on a label

The Michael David family name has become more than a winery — a spectacle of the Lodi region after 150 years of family farming. The new release had to pay tribute to the family name and the region.

Skip the label tribute: emblazon the family name into the glass itself through an old-world-inspired custom bottle, so the heritage claim is the object.

Makers & Allies paired the custom embossed glass with refined typography and sleek elements, balancing contemporary design with traditional wine aesthetics to appeal to new and loyal customers alike.

The Dieline featured the redesign on 3 July 2024; no sales figures were published.

Michael David Winery's family name carries 150 years of farming in Lodi, California — in the agency's words, it has become a spectacle of the region. For a new product release, Makers & Allies was asked to pay tribute to that name and to Lodi with a visual expression of permanence and heritage.

The design answer was to emblazon the family name into the glass itself through an old-world-inspired custom glass design, which the agency says signifies the legitimacy of the region and the family's roots.

Around the embossed bottle, refined typography and sleek elements infuse modern elegance, balancing contemporary design with traditional wine aesthetics. The Dieline featured the work on 3 July 2024.

Wine shelves crowd heritage claims onto printed labels; embossing the name into the glass makes the claim part of the bottle a shopper holds.

The family name is the brand's real asset — the pack turns it into a monument rather than a caption.

Old-world glass cues flatter the region's legitimacy while sleek typography keeps the brand contemporary for new customers.

A heritage claim printed on a label reads as marketing; moulded into the glass it reads as fact — put the proof into the object itself.

The Dieline covered the design on 3 July 2024; no commercial results were reported.