CASE STUDY: WINE VIE
While I was in college, my best friend, Jessica Green, got me a job at a winery on the North Fork of Long Island. In this small tasting room that celebrated the owners’ Italian heritage, we poured wine, made pizza, and, on occasion, sang traditional Italian songs for guests [no, there is no video proof]. It was here that we began to appreciate wine, develop our palettes, and even learn about operating a business.
The owner and winemaker, Sal Diliberto, became a champion of our early careers. The winery was my very first communications client when I started freelancing. He fostered Jessica’s growing interest in wine by encouraging her to get her certification with the Sommelier Society of America. And while our careers took two very different paths, we’ve reunited again to launch a new website for her company, Wine Vie.
I have been incredibly fortunate to work with Jessica over the years in a number of capacities, but to collaborate on a project like this is especially exciting. I’ve watched how she’s grown her business over the years into something truly special.
Wine Vie first launched as a wine events and education company. Under this umbrella, she eventually became the proprietor of Down the Rabbit Hole Wine Boutique, transforming New York’s smallest wine shop into a space for natural, biodynamic, and sustainable wines. Later, she became a NYS certified adult educator and a registered academic instructor with the American Hotel and Lodging Association, and began teaching hospitality courses on Long Island.
Education has always been at the core of Jessica’s work, and having found a new mode to share her passion, she decided to evolve her first business, sell the shop, and focus solely on wine and hospitality education.
With the space carved out to expand Wine Vie, Jessica needed a totally revamped website.
Wine Vie translates to wine life — it is a fluid experience, growing, blossoming, and transforming with time. Jessica wanted this digital space to reflect that, building on a foundation rooted in education. Whether it’s an intimate gathering of people learning about the fundamentals of wine or an individual pursuing a certification in hospitality, Jessica endeavors to make experiences accessible, inclusive, and fun.
The color palette of the website is natural and grounded. We chose sophisticated tones that are a nod to the wine industry without being overly obvious. Shades of moss, warm beige, sandstone, and accents of rich burgundy complement the photos used throughout. The images speak to the hospitality experience as a whole — low lighting in cozy, inviting spaces that encourage you to linger.
A sense of structure comes from geometric shapes and dividers, and subtle movement that guides users as they navigate through the various pages.
Wine Vie offers a range of services — classes and courses, private events, hospitality services, and workshops. In the primary section of each of these pages, a pale sandstone background was chosen to evoke a sense of lightness. It feels open and makes it easy to learn more. Because each of these services offer something different, customized forms were developed for each. As inquiries come in, Jessica can hone in on visitors’ individual needs to develop a meaningful event or program.
The overall result is a balanced design that highlights Jessica’s professionalism and expertise while being approachable and personable. Just like her!
As Jessica continues to shape the future of Wine Vie, her website can now evolve with it, too. I can’t wait to see what’s next for my best friend, and I hope you’ll take the time to explore her new Squarespace website further. Cheers!
—RB
