Wine is a universally enjoyed alcoholic beverage with endless marketability. As such, wine websites should effectively capture the craftsmanship of their products with rich content and high-quality images. The sites should also allow users to easily shop the winery's product range and visit its tasting room for an unforgettable experience.
Read on for some do's and don'ts before creating your own website with our wine AI website builder.
Zarla checks that sites meet basic web standards for mobile and desktop. We also use Google's PageSpeed Insights, and WAVE, a service that evaluates accessibility for individuals with disabilities. PageSpeed scores and accessibility are important factors for search engine rankings. PageSpeed scores may not match user experience and can vary substantially.
Napa, California, U.S.
Artesa Winery produces high-quality Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines from its 150-acre vineyards in the Los Carneros region of Napa Valley. Thanks to its clean and professional look, the website effectively captures the winery's commitment to traditional winemaking techniques, emphasizing its sustainability ethos with an earthy color scheme and selection of visually engaging images.
The website's simple navigation options ensure users can easily peruse the company's history, shop its product range, and become a member of its wine club to receive additional savings and perks.
Visitors are introduced to the winery's breathtaking views, outdoor areas, vineyards, and tasting room with an impactful hero video. The company's FAQ section is easily accessible and gives users a good overview of the company's wine-tasting experience.
WAVE picked up a large number of contrast errors throughout the site, indicating that some body text could be displayed in a brighter color to ensure optimal readability. Google's PageSpeed Insights test reports slower-than-average page loading times on both desktop and mobile.
The desktop website performs well and gives visitors easy access to pertinent information, including the winery's contact options, tasting experiences, and seasonal events. The online shopping experience is intuitive, but the site's heavy graphics can slow down load times. On Google's PageSpeed Insights test, the website scored 93/100 in the performance category.
On mobile, the hero video plays without fault, and all images remain refined, contributing to a striking visual appeal that's accentuated by the effective use of a sandy color palette. Thanks to the site's ample page links and accessibility tools menu, visitors can easily find and read up on pertinent information. Unlike the desktop version, the website has an average performance score of 52/100 on Google's PageSpeed Insights test.
https://www.chateaudutaillan.com/en/
Le Taillan-Médoc, France
Château du Taillan is a well-established, family-owned wine estate that produces Cru bourgeois red wines, as well as white and rosé wines for summertime consumption. The website has a timeless appeal with elegant design elements and personable imagery reflecting the estate’s heritage. The site's content-rich pages are easy to navigate and give users a good overview of the company's history, products, and wine-tasting experiences.
The website includes a comprehensive section on the winery's biodiversity and environmental protection efforts, as well as its sustainable winemaking practices. The site's seamless browsing experiences allow users to easily book the venue for private events and shop the estate's product range.
According to WAVE, the website has several contrast errors and would benefit from higher contrast ratios between the footer menu's text and background color. The site is also missing a dedicated customer reviews and/or testimonials section.
The desktop version performs well with straightforward site navigation and ample page links, although its page loading times are quite slow, according to Google's PageSpeed Insights test. The wine estate's sophisticated and charming appeal is effectively captured in the website's use of narrative-rich content and impactful images. A notable feature is the site's social media feed section, which gives visitors insight into the estate's global popularity.
The mobile website retains an elegant visual aesthetic with high-resolution images and well-spaced content that's easy to read and navigate. Clear CTA buttons ensure visitors can find important information, such as the company's products and e-shop, with the latter offering a seamless user experience on mobile. The site scored 60/100 in the performance category on Google's PageSpeed Insights test.
Santa Ynez, California, U.S.
Fallen Grape Wine Co. is a California-based winery that produces organically farmed, natural wines, particularly orange wine blends and red wines. The website's ethereal aesthetic and sustainability ethos appeal to environmentally-conscious consumers, while the use of soft color accents effectively reflects the company's love of natural beauty and refinement. Site navigation is relatively simple and the use of minimal images and graphics ensures a smooth performance, enhancing the overall user experience.
The website is well-suited to visitors wanting to purchase the company's products with an intuitive online shopping experience and promotional offers on bulk orders. Branding is kept consistent across the site with whimsical imagery and pastel colors. WAVE picked up only a few contrast errors.
The site would benefit from an expanded "About" section to give visitors a more comprehensive overview of the winery's location, bottling processes, and winemakers. Additional contact options should also be displayed more prominently on the home page.
The desktop version presents as both professional and sophisticated with minimalistic yet impactful site elements. Users can easily create an account and shop the company's products, and the merchandise section is a fun addition that reinforces brand cohesion. However, the "Stockists" page gives a 404 error, which distracts from the site's relatively straightforward navigation.
The mobile website features a responsive design that allows the images and content to remain crisp and highly readable. Large headings, clear CTA buttons, and ample white space ensure a good user and navigation experience, while shopping and checkout processes remain seamless. On Google's PageSpeed Insights test, the site's performance scored 48/100.
Cornwall, England, U.K.
Camel Valley uses modern farming techniques to produce world-class sparkling wines from their sun-drenched vineyards in Cornwall, England. The website combines clean design elements with natural-looking imagery and engaging content to create a fresh and contemporary appearance that effectively captures the winery's essence.
The site's "About" and "Awards" pages give visitors a good overview of the company and its many accomplishments, while the legible typography and minimalistic page sections ensure a professional appeal.
The winery's commitment to quality and excellence is reflected in the site's use of refined images depicting the vineyards, cellar architecture, and outdoor tasting areas. Clear navigation options ensure that users can easily find important information, such as the winery's location and hours of operation.
WAVE picked up several instances of insufficient contrast ratios throughout the site. The website could also benefit from slightly larger body text and CTA buttons to ensure optimal readability.
The desktop site performs well with fast page loading times, and its well-spaced layouts leave lots of breathing room for the content and images to pop. The narrative-rich pages allow visitors to easily explore the winery's history, product range, vineyard tours, and wine tastings, and the shopping experience is seamless with bulk discounts and an easy checkout process.
The mobile site remains aesthetically pleasing with crisp images and clear navigation options. The body text is slightly more legible on mobile than on the desktop version, enhancing the overall user experience. On Google's PageSpeed Insights test, the site scored 61/100 in the performance category, and its page loading times are much slower than on desktop.
Wellington, New Zealand
Joiy Wines is a well-recognized brand that produces canned wines and spritzers sold in New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. The website embraces ideas of fun and chicness with a stylish color palette, charming imagery, and refined typography. The brand's love of unique and authentic experiences is effectively showcased on the site with content-rich pages advertising its comprehensive product range.
The website's intuitive navigation options allow visitors to peruse the company's shop, wine offerings, and contact information with ease. The use of distinctive graphics sets the brand apart from competitors and allows the product range to stand out.
According to WAVE, the website has a large number of contrast errors. The site is missing a dedicated client testimonials and/or awards section, and Google's PageSpeed Insights test also reported slow page loading times on both desktop and mobile.
The desktop version effectively showcases the company and its product range with cohesive branding that feels both sophisticated and fun. Large headings and easy site navigation ensure a seamless user experience. While the "Ethos" page shines a spotlight on the company's sustainability practices, a section on its history and/or production process would elevate the content.
The mobile website reflects the desktop version's charming look with a responsive design that slims down the images and content without losing functionality or appeal. The shopping and checkout processes remain intuitive, and the use of clear CTA buttons across the website ensures optimal user engagement. The site scored 71/100 in the performance category on Google's PageSpeed Insights test.
We have curated a collection of wine websites with a review of the desktop and mobile experience that you can peruse for free.
The best wine websites typically entice visitors to visit their winery or purchase their products with visually engaging images, robust product descriptions, and an intuitive online shopping experience. Other factors that will ensure your wine website stands out include easy site navigation and optimal performance with fast page loading times.
Zarla's website builder uses AI to design and create a wine company website template based on a description of your business. The site will be delivered, complete with content and photos, in less than a minute.
