About Us

We are passionate about fine wine and committed to celebrating the beauty and bounty of wine country. And we know that fine wines are made by good people. We’ll tell your story in a compelling way, bringing your customers closer to you.

Process

How We Work

Our approach is collaborative and our project management is detail-oriented. We listen to your goals, then apply our strategic insights to create an effective plan to accomplish them.

Here’s a glimpse at our website process:

Team

Jon Krauss

Jon Krauss

Creative Director

Jon (pronounced Yahn) founded Vin because he loves wine and fine wine design. With twenty years of experience in website design, brand design, and art direction, he’s collaborated with over 100 wineries around the globe, sized from boutique to mass-market. Jon studied German Literature at Whitman College, Art History at Humboldt University Berlin, and Fine Arts at The Evergreen State College. Based in Portland, Oregon, Jon brings an expert insider’s perspective to the wine world.

Visit Jon's website

Katherine Cole

Katherine Cole

Communications Director

A graduate of Harvard College and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, Katherine is the author of five books on wine and a former wine columnist, editor, and journalist for national and international publications. In addition to her role at Vin Agency, Katherine hosts and executive produces the James Beard Award-winning podcast The Four Top. Katherine is a member of Les Dames D’Escoffier International and the Circle of Wine Writers.

Visit Katherine's website

Annie Jefferson

Annie Jefferson

Brand Manager

With an agency background in brand strategy, brand design, content development, and project management, Annie has worked with companies ranging from enterprise to boutique to refresh old brands, build new ones, launch websites, and create engaging marketing material. In 2013, she won the London School of Economics Entrepreneurship Award with funding to launch a content creation company. Now California-based, Annie also oversees the marketing of her family’s St. Helena vineyard.

Visit Annie's website

Brandon Sparks-Gillis

Brandon Sparks-Gillis

Strategic Advisor

Brandon is winemaker at Dragonette Cellars, based in the Santa Ynez Valley of Santa Barbara County, California. He has worked and studied with some of the finest wineries and retailers in the world, and holds a degree in Geology from Whitman College. His extensive experience in multiple aspects of the business provides Vin with an in-depth insider perspective on the world of wine.

Visit Brandon’s winery

Wine gladdens the human heart,
and joyfulness is the mother
of all virtues.
— Goethe

Questions and Answers

  • What makes Vin special among creative agencies?

    Wine is our focus, expertise, and passion. We’ve worked with more than 100 wineries of all sizes, and collaborated with winemakers, proprietors, designers, importers, wholesalers, sales teams, and marketing and PR specialists. We don’t just design websites for businesses. We design websites for wineries.

  • How is fine wine like fine wine design?

    Design, like winemaking, requires a combination of technical proficiency and artistic sensibility. Winemakers are passionate about their craft and uncompromising about quality, and we take the same artisanal approach to our work. Like a fine wine, our websites are designed to stand the test of time.

  • How do we communicate during projects?

    We are based in Oregon and California, and we collaborate with clients all over the globe. We use email, screen sharing, file sharing, and phone call meetings. We are also available for on-site visits, brainstorming sessions, and workshops. Get in touch with us, at hello@vinagency.com, to learn more.

  • What's the process for getting a project proposal?

    We start with an exploratory questionnaire that familiarizes us with your business and your needs. We follow up with a conference call to define the project requirements. Then we prepare a formal proposal with the project scope, budget, projected timeline, and contract. Once we have received the signed contract and deposit payment, we schedule your project and begin preparation.

    Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions. We’re at hello@vinagency.com, and we’re looking forward to working with you.

Testimonials

We engaged Vin to redesign Tzora Vineyards’s visual brand presence and bring it on the level with the top tier of quality on the international stage. We collaborated closely throughout the process and Vin was attentive to our goals and flexible in developing our ideas. The work has successfully endured the test of time and continues to make a strong impact on our customers. We highly recommend working with Vin.

— Eran Pick, General Manager and Winemaker at Tzora Vineyards

Shortly after starting VineSpring in 2011, we began searching for a talented interactive web developer who could showcase the best of what VineSpring has to offer. We found what we were looking for in Jon Krauss and Vin. Their work continues to impress with clean responsive design that delivers awesome results. Recommending Vin to any winery looking for great brand, identity, or website design is an easy choice.

— Chris Towt, Co-Founder at VineSpring

Vin came highly recommended to us by one of their previous clients, and after a brief telephone conversation we knew we had found a kindred spirit.

Vin’s prior experience and focus, coupled with an almost maniacal attention to detail, ensures no design stone is left unturned. Goals were set throughout the design process and were attained to ensure that final production was not only flawless in quality but delivered on-schedule.

Consulon receives dozens of compliments each month from peers, on its brand design and website, and Vin follows up regularly to ensure our online image is maintained.

— Ian Burrows, Proprietor at Consulon

I’ve been working with Vin since the launch of the brand. Vin quickly understood what I was looking for in both the look and feel of the label and the website. I continually get compliments on both. We have been working together over the years and continue to fine tune and make changes to the website. Vin responds to my requests quickly, offers great advice and then implements the changes instantly.

— Tony Arcudi, Winemaker at Arcudi

I have worked with Jon Krauss on several wine industry projects and I would highly recommend him and his team. My projects involved wine branding through label and logo design and a winery website update and overhaul. In both instances I found Vin to be very knowledgeable with a well developed creative capacity. He was a great collaborator and also patient with my lack of technical acumen. His communication skills were also excellent. He listened to my goals for the projects and delivered great results. I hope to work with Jon and team again in the future and I would not hesitate to recommend them to my closest friends.

— Andrea Lederle, Principal at Lederle Consulting

Clients

Services

What We Do

Portfolio

Our Work