Neruda's Ode to Wine

Every day at Vin, we are inspired by the craftsmanship and creativity our clients devote to their work. Winemaking is a business, but it's also an art—like painting, music, or poetry—requiring technical mastery, emotional investment, a strong stylistic point of view, and an understanding of broader context. This Pablo Neruda ode reminds us of a well-made wine in its expert construction and evocative beauty.

Day-colored wine, night-colored wine,
wine with purple feet or wine with topaz blood,
wine, starry child of earth,
wine, smooth as a golden sword, soft as lascivious velvet,
wine, spiral-seashelled and full of wonder, amorous, marine;
never has one goblet contained you, one song, one person,
you are choral, gregarious,
at the least, you must be shared.

— Pablo Neruda, Ode to Wine

Trans. Margaret Sayers Peden, in Selected Odes of Pablo Neruda
(Berkeley: University of California Press, 2000), 167.
More at Poem Hunter

Arcadian Landscape with a Satyr Family, 1759-1835

Carl Wilhelm Kolbe

National Gallery of Art

Ornate black and white engraving depicting symmetrical floral motifs, with trumpet-like flowers and curling leaves emerging from a central vase.

Typographical Ornaments

Typographical ornaments—known today as “dingbats”—originally stemmed from the public’s thirst for travel and décor. Over time, these decorative ornaments acted as proto emojis, augmenting written text with imagery and symbolism.

E-commerce for Winery Websites

When we connect with clients for website design and development projects, they nearly always ask us for advice about e-commerce. We’re happy to help. In this article, we share some of the insights we’ve gleaned over the years from our work.

Why It’s So Difficult
to Name a Wine Brand

Many first-time wine producers believe that they can land on a viable brand name in a single brainstorming session. However, it’s important to adhere to labeling regulations, avoid trademark infringement, and ultimately inspire engagement and drive sales.

Building an Age-Worthy Website

Can a website age like fine wine? In a word, yes. In the same way that a fine winemaker ensures longevity in the bottle by achieving equilibrium, our design work is driven by the principles of balance, proportion, and unity.

Katherine Cole
on Wine Communication

Katherine Cole discusses her career as a wine journalist and author, and now, brand communicator.

The Essential Ingredient of
Wine Business Success: Brand

We all know that wine label: Effortlessly cool, with a miles-long wait list. The wine is good, sure. But is it really that good? What does that producer have that you don’t? We’re here to tell you what: It’s brand.

Editorial Style Sheet
for Wine Writing

Here at Vin, we take copywriting seriously. We interview winery stakeholders and team members for information, quotes, nuance, and context. And we convey our clients’ words with elegance and finesse. But that’s not all. Connoisseurs notice the little things, so we’re extra-attentive to proper grammar, usage, and punctuation.

An Interview with
Creative Director Jon Krauss

Vin Founder and Creative Director Jon Krauss shares about Vin, his story, European studies, typography, brand design, and websites.