Aisle 43

Brands like Fat Bastard, Funky Llama and Cardinal Zin have put a playful twist on the wine-drinking experience. As for the wine-shopping experience, Canadian vineyard Andrew Peller Ltd. (Grimsby, Ont.) has begun Aisle 43, an updated wine shop with bright graphics and slick white finishes.

Partnering with Toronto-based design firm Perennial Inc., Peller revamped its pocket-sized wine shops inside Canadian supermarkets – formerly called Vineyards Estate Wines – to reflect the way most consumers actually shop for wine: reds or whites first, then price, as opposed to the traditional method of identifying them by country or varietal.

And they wanted to make it fun. “Shopping for wine should be like spending time with a friend,” says Michelle Brisbois, marketing manager for Andrew Peller. So, amid fiery red and orange tones and large overhead images of fruit, Aisle 43 features simple white signage that divides bottles into the red or white category. Under that, a red strip indicates price ranges. Designers also dropped jargon typically used to describe wine in favor of colorful icons and the wines’ “personality profiles.”

The name is a wink at the global latitude that runs through some of the most noted wine regions, from France, Italy and Spain to the province of Ontario.

Client: Andrew Peller Ltd., Grimsby, Ont. – Jim Cole, director of retail; Michelle Brisebois, marketing manager

Design: Perennial Inc., Toronto – Marjorie Ogden, business director; Diane Mahony, director, client services; Kelley Doris, director, communications; Solange Rivard, creative director; Tara O’Neil, director, environments; Mardi Najafi, designer, environments

General Contractor: Andrew Peller Ltd. Internal Contractor, Grimsby, Ont.

Audio/Visual: Splash Interactive, Toronto

Wine Dispenser: Winegate Solutions, Montreal

Photography: Interior Images, Richard Johnson, Toronto