From Pampers to the kitchen table to German Design Award winner

Eliah Werner isn't a winemaker. Not a designer. His background is Pampers, Gillette, Oral-B – ten years in consumer goods marketing at Procter & Gamble. And that, I believe, is precisely what earned Young Poets the German Design Award 2026.

Not in spite of it. But because of it.

What the jury said – and what was surprising about it

The jury's statement for the German Design Award 2026 was precise: "The Young Poets Wine project stages the moment at the shelf in a chavismatic and bold way: concise typography, reduced design and a tongue-in-cheek claim create an emotional connection to young consumers."

The jury didn't talk about wine. They talked about communication. About strategy. About psychology.

That was exactly our plan. Young Poets is a communication brand that happens to sell wine. Or more precisely: a brand that proves that design isn't decoration – it's a sales strategy.

The problem: A category that has forgotten its buyers

Imagine you're standing in front of 300 bottles of wine. They all look the same. Everyone's talking about terroir, hillside location, Parker points. You have no idea – and you buy something. Or nothing at all.

This is the reality for Millennials and Gen Z at the wine aisle. And the numbers are clear: 64% of Millennials buy wine solely based on the label design. 53% say the drink you drink says something about you. The category has ignored this generation for years – with complex language, intimidating aesthetics, and an elitist image.

Eliah's starting point was not: What is the best wine? But rather: How does someone decide in three seconds which bottle to pick up?

Stop. Hold. Close. – Shopper psychology on the shelf

Young Poets was built on a three-step principle that Eliah transferred directly from advertising psychology to the shelf – and which was validated with a digital eye-tracking test with real consumers:

Stop – from three meters away. Shoppers first look for wine color, then grape variety. Young Poets pops up with typography that forces the brain to look twice. Abbreviated grape variety names – GRNR VLTLNR instead of Grüner Veltliner, GRAU BRGNDR instead of Grauburgunder – trigger the Zajonc effect: The brain likes what it can fill in.

Hold – from two meters away. No specialist knowledge, no wine terminology. Instead, pop culture. “Fifty Shades of Pinot Gris.” “Everything Happens for a Riesling.” Names that bring a smile – and that stick in your mind. Hashtags like #fiftyshadesofgrey (2 million posts) or #roseallday (760,000 posts) become organic reach multipliers.

Close – from one meter away. Trust in the real young winemakers behind every wine. Clear taste information without jargon. And a concrete promise on the back label: Every bottle is a donation to the Reading Foundation.

How it really came about

Inspired by the consumer. Driven by Pampers brand knowledge. Designed on the kitchen table, with a glass of wine in hand.

No large team. No agency budget. Instead, the combination of consumer-first thinking, the honest craftsmanship of the winemakers – and the courage to address a category differently than all the others.

For Eliah, the real award is every time someone picks up a bottle and says, "This is not like other wines."

That was precisely the goal. From the very beginning.