Botella Republic
Creating a hyper-local wine bar for everyday people in East Bay area.
Role: Creative Director
Challenge
Make wine more accessible.
Impact
Next level mindfulness of eating and drinking in the East Bay acknowledged by the NY Times.
Outcome
An ultra-neighborhoody spot to gather around the joy and discovery of wine.
We started with a name.
La Botella Republic means "The People's Bottle." It’s also Spanglish — a mixture of Spanish and English — a lot like California, our focus and inspiration.
The high-ceiling industrial space invited socializing and conviviality with a long zinc-topped bar communal tables.
We told the story of our brand on swag and on social, emphasizing our core idea,"Vino para la Gente" — not just Sommeliers and fancy people.
We helped visitors learn more about tasting through classes, meet-the-wine maker events, and a variety of ever-changing flights and a pairings designed to highlight individual aspects of look, smell, flavor, mouthfeel and finish.
“The well-curated list is best sampled in flights. The Clarkes’ dedication to area purveyors is also reflected in the food menu.”
What if wine wasn’t so dang pretentious? It would look a lot like La Botella Republic.