Todd's old career ages nicely

What started out as a one off design project has turned into a full blown rebranding adventure.

I initially starting working with Peter Eckert, Zurich Financial Services now former global C.O.O. , just over one year ago. Kathleen put me in touch with Peter when she discovered that he owned a small winery in Portugal and was interested in some marketing help. After splitting a bottle of Quinta das Marias, 2004 Tinto and showing Peter my portfolio, I began work on designing the label of his forthcoming release of 2003 Reserva. I quickly realized that we had a huge opportunity to rebrand his entire winery and really put his baby on the map. So during our next meeting I brought up the idea and Peter got excited about the possibilities. That was it, and we were off!

We started with a new logo. Spun that into the new label and box for the Reserva, which we are using as a base to recreate new labels for his other reds and whites. And then it was time to put a new face on the Internet. This was a new area for me, so I bought a book on how to make a website and went to work. The result: www.quintadasmarias.com . Currently we are printing a new brochure and in the initial stage of concepting ads.

Reaction to our efforts have been very positive and things are really moving forward.

As I mentioned, Peter recently retired as the global C.O.O. for Zurich. But if I have my way, Peter is far from being "retired." He was a giant in the insurance business and now he's got the time to grow his wine business into something big, too.

It has been a real pleasure to work with Peter. He has taught me many valuable lessons about business, wine and life. My many thanks to Peter.

Peter's wine is truly exceptional and I hope everyone gets the chance to taste it for themselves.

For more information about Quinta das Marias visit: www.quintadasmarias.com