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At nearly 1,800 feet above sea level, Ink Grade Estate sits on the volcanic slopes of Napa Valley’s Howell Mountain—a remote, eucalyptus-covered terrain shaped by nature more than man. And yet, even far from this dramatic landscape, visitors to the winery’s tasting room in downtown St. Helena are pulled back into the wild.

That immersive connection is no accident. It’s the result of a multi-year collaboration with Edition, the San Francisco–Portland design studio known for turning brands into full-sensory experiences. For Ink Grade, they created a world that feels grounded, poetic, and deeply rooted in place.

Inside the tasting room, a two-ton boulder from the estate quite literally brings the mountain into the space. Around it, natural materials, sculptural papers, and eucalyptus-inspired elements evoke the rawness of the vineyard without being overly rustic. Every detail—from blind embossing that mimics the land’s contours to wax-sealed folders housing tasting notes—feels designed to be touched as much as seen.

The brand’s visual identity is just as intentional. Wine labels are adorned with vintage lithographs of California wildlife, sourced from historical archives. These illustrations not only speak to the estate’s reverence for nature but also link past to present with quiet elegance. In the tasting room, the originals are displayed on the walls, reinforcing continuity between product and place.

Edition’s design system is minimal yet meaningful. The tactile choices—thick textured stocks, foil details, embossed forms—carry weight, both literally and metaphorically. Even the most utilitarian elements, like menus and order forms, are crafted with the same level of care as the packaging or interior design. The result is seamless cohesion: a brand world where everything speaks the same quiet, confident language.

More than a visual identity, Ink Grade’s brand becomes a sensory experience that mirrors the work of the winemaker himself—layered, expressive, and grounded in a profound respect for the land. It’s a story told not with bold gestures, but with thoughtful restraint and poetic precision.

Edition’s work proves that when design is rooted in place, even a downtown tasting room can carry the soul of a mountain.