Taking Flight

Ever wonder what the “Ren” in Renwood signifies? Well, it derives from “wren,” the small songbird of which there are some 80 species. Wrens migrate between Alaska and southern Argentina (appropriately, given our new owners) and tend to dwell in dark places like caves. (They no doubt like wine cellars, too!)

Although wrens are small in stature, they are known in legend as “the king of birds.” The legend says that, long ago, all the birds agreed to elect as their king the one who could fly closest to the sun. Various species fell by the wayside until only the mighty eagle remained, or so he thought. In fact, a clever wren had hidden in the eagle’s plumage. When the eagle finally faltered in his ascent to the sun, the wren took flight and, upon reaching the highest elevation, was crowned king of all birds – a triumph of ingenuity over strength.

Many changes have taken wing at Renwood over the past year, including unique new labels for our wines featuring an illustration of King Wren lording it over a disgruntled eagle as they perch in an old Zinfandel vine shaped into an “R.” We have three new labels, each dedicated to a different channel of distribution: chain retailers, independent retailers and restaurants. We also will have a special label for wines we sell exclusively to our tasting room and wine club customers and have renamed seven of our zinfandels after wren species: Bewick’s, Boucard’s, Flutist, Mérida, Musician, Niceforo’s and Timberline.

Our new labels debut with our 2010 vintage wines, which we’ll be releasing in July. The caliber of the artwork reflects the superior quality of the wines, and vice-versa, so we invite you to spread your wings and fly on over to Renwood to check out our beautiful new plumage.