Columbia Crest's 'two Juans' tell non-snooty wine stories
Washington state winery Columbia Crest has enlisted its two winemakers to show the passion and dedication put into the company’s wines without any snooty talk.
“Juan & Juan on Wine” is a video series by Seattle agency Copacino+Fujikado, starring Columbia Crest’s head winemaker Juan Muñoz-Oca and Estate Vineyard manager Juan Uribe talking about their craft at one of the Northwest’s largest wineries.
The campaign isn’t your usual snobbish men sniffing, swirling and talking pretentiously about fermented grapes. It’s just a couple of guys being themselves and letting the stories unfold in quick one-minute-or-less video spots – an honest conversation on wine backed by an upbeat European jump swing soundtrack.
The first, “Staying Close”, introduces us to the two Juans, who smile, wave at and greet each other across the estate as they explain why having estate vines – those grown right on the premises rather than trucking in fruit from elsewhere – is best, letting them “grow the grapes the way we feel is best for them, but pick[ing] the grapes at the exact time we feel they’re ready to become wine,” said Muñoz-Oca in the video.
The straightforward talk is easy to comprehend for non-oenophiles and the two Juans have a lighthearted charisma, making for a fun watch. Other subjects the two touch on are: “Excuses” winemakers make (and shouldn’t); being gentle with the wine by using gravity in “Push & Pull”; taking care of the wine by thinking small, as the two stand back to back in “Big & Small”; experimentation in vessel shape and playfulness in “Eggs & Tulips”; and showing how “Tasting” occurs from the vineyard to the tanks and barrels and finally the bottled product to make sure the wine attains perfection.
“When you meet Juan and Juan in person, you instantly feel their passion for Columbia Crest,” said Mike Hayward, creative director at Copacino+Fujikado. “They’re both so incredibly approachable and likable, and they have this great yin and yang thing going. It’s a combination that makes some of the best wines in the world, and we thought it would make a great content series too.”
The video series not only lets people know about the personalities involved with making the wine, it’s a way for the winery, part of Ste. Michelle Wine Estates, to appeal to a wider audience. Aside from the website, JuanandJuanonWine.com, the series will be supported by paid social advertising across the Columbia Crest channels.
“The ‘Juan & Juan on Wine’ video series highlights and reinforces the dedication and craft required to create spectacular wines, year after year,” said Kirsten Elliot, senior marketing manager at Columbia Crest. “At Columbia Crest, we believe there is an opportunity to showcase both sides of the winemaking process and put actual faces to the product our consumers have grown to know and enjoy over the years. We are lifting the veil, so to speak, by bringing people into our winery and intimately introducing them to the people who make it all happen.”