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Californian wine co acquires Rabble wine brand
Fast-expanding Californian wine company O’Neill Vintners & Distillers has bought the Rabble wine brand from Paso Robles-based vineyard manager Rob Murray for an undisclosed sum, it was announced yesterday.
Rabble was created by Murray in 2010 as a brand designed to appeal to a younger generation of wine consumers with bright, interactive labels featuring ancient battles inspired by scenes of destruction from the Nuremberg Chronicle of the 1400s.
Murray also employed augmented reality technology in the wine labelling, bringing to life the sieges featured on the labels with movement and sound effects.
O’Neill Vintners was founded in 2004 by Jeff O’Neill, a third generation Californian whose family has roots in winemaking dating back to 1934. Today, O’Neill Vintners is the seventh largest winery in California.
O’Neill said that he is focused on building his business using “innovative brands” that introduce a younger generation to wine.
Speaking of Rabble, he said, “Rob has created a unique disruptive brand that strives to maintain relevance in an industry that frequently finds itself a little behind. His efforts resonate with forward-thinking, millennial wine drinkers.”
He added, “Rabble fits well within our growing portfolio of nationally distributed brands,”
Following the sale of Rabble, Murray now plans to divide his time between family duties and his Tooth & Nail Wine Company.
Jeremy Leffert will continue to direct winemaking at Tooth & Nail Winery, Amor Fati, Stasis and Destinata, a brand Murray will re-launch in 2021 that will be dedicated to natural wines. Continuing his explorations into the world of augmented reality technology, Murray is set to launch a new line extension next month, under the Tooth & Nail wine brand, bringing animated street art-inspired images to each bottle of wine.
Speaking about the sale of Rabble, Murray commented, “I can’t think of a better team than Jeff’s at ‘O Neill to lead and direct the Rabble wine brand towards an even more promising evolution. I’m very proud of what I created with Rabble and I’m excited to see what the ‘O Neill team does to make Rabble even more compelling for future audiences.”
