The Challenge

The owner needed a platform that balanced professional polish with genuine ease of use—something sophisticated enough to represent premium wine experiences but simple enough to update from anywhere in the world between vineyard visits. The somewhat unusual UX requirement of housing two separate brand identities within one site demanded thoughtful information architecture that wouldn't confuse visitors or create maintenance headaches. Additionally, the client envisioned future brand extensions, so the underlying structure needed to accommodate growth without requiring a complete rebuild.

Our Approach

We selected WordPress.com specifically for its managed hosting, automatic updates, and streamlined interface that empowers non-technical owners to publish confidently. Working within one of WordPress.com's provided themes, we customized the experience with supplemental CSS, Javascript, and carefully selected plugins to achieve the desired aesthetic and functionality without sacrificing the owner's ability to make routine updates.

The information architecture strategy became the project's cornerstone. We developed a scalable tagging and taxonomy system that allows content to be filtered and displayed by brand, topic, region, and experience type. This framework enables The Premier Cru and The Boston Cru to maintain distinct identities through dedicated landing pages and navigation pathways while sharing underlying infrastructure, content types, and design systems. More importantly, this architecture can effortlessly accommodate future brands—whether a New York offering, a Napa experience, or an international expansion—without restructuring the site.

We migrated approximately 20 articles from Word documents, meticulously updating metadata to reflect actual authoring dates and preserve SEO value. Photo optimization ensured fast load times while maintaining the visual richness essential for luxury travel marketing.

Technical Highlights

• WordPress.com platform selection for owner-friendly content management and automatic maintenance
• Custom CSS, Javascript, and plugin integration within managed WordPress.com environment
• Flexible information architecture supporting multiple brand experiences within unified structure
• Scalable tagging system enabling content filtering by brand, region, and experience type
• Strategic navigation design allowing each brand to maintain distinct identity
• Content migration and metadata optimization for 20+ articles
• Photo optimization balancing visual quality with performance
• Responsive design ensuring excellence across all devices

The Result

An elegant, easy-to-maintain platform that the owner updates regularly from anywhere in the world—adding new travel experiences, publishing vineyard insights, and managing dual brands without technical assistance. The flexible architecture has proven its worth, seamlessly accommodating evolving business needs while maintaining design consistency. What appears to visitors as a polished, professionally managed site is actually a WordPress.com platform that empowers a single owner to maintain a sophisticated digital presence while focusing on what matters most: curating exceptional wine experiences.

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