Beringer.com: Raising a Glass to a Digital Refresh
Modernizing Beringer.com while future-proofing for a backend transformation
Challenge
Beringer.com hadn't been meaningfully updated in seven years. The legacy platform was inflexible, limiting what could be done with design and content, but Treasury Wine Estates wasn't ready for a full backend replatform. The challenge was to modernize the digital presence of a premium Napa Valley brand, bring the experience in line with its luxury positioning, and do it entirely within the constraints of an aging CMS, while documenting the path forward for the backend work that would follow.
Outcomes
Platform modernization: Front-end modernized
Brand portfolio consistency: Global brand alignment
Future planning: Replatform roadmap
Overview
Beringer.com, the flagship Napa Valley brand of Treasury Wine Estates, needed a visual and content refresh after more than seven years on an unchanged legacy platform. As Digital Project Manager, I led a redesign that brought the site into the modern era while strategically positioning it for a future backend replatform.
Challenge
- Aging Platform: The legacy CMS had not been updated in seven years, limiting flexibility and modern functionality.
- Brand Expectations: Beringer, with its iconic Napa heritage, needed a premium online presence to match its real-world reputation.
- Strategic Timing: Treasury Wine Estates was not yet ready for a full backend transformation, so the redesign needed to maximize what was possible within the existing infrastructure.
My Role
Digital Project Manager
- Directed front-end redesign within the constraints of the legacy platform
- Coordinated with an external design agency to align on site design, brand content, and photoshoot deliverables
- Managed timelines, budgets, and stakeholder communication for on-time delivery
- Ensured creative consistency with Treasury Wine Estates’ brand portfolio standards
Process
- Discovery — Reviewed the existing site, platform capabilities, and brand requirements
- Creative Collaboration — Partnered with the external design agency to produce site designs, source and approve content, and coordinate brand photography shoots
- Design & Content Refresh — Elevated visual design, imagery, and messaging to reflect premium positioning
- Development Constraints Management — Maximized existing CMS capabilities while working around technical limitations
- Stakeholder Alignment — Presented iterative designs to marketing, brand, and IT for approval and refinement
- Future Planning — Documented opportunities for backend and platform improvements to guide the next phase of transformation
Key Outcomes
- Delivered a modernized front-end experience within the existing platform’s constraints
- Improved brand presentation and content engagement for a high-profile luxury label
- Coordinated photoshoots and visual asset production to strengthen brand storytelling
- Provided a roadmap for future backend replatform when budget and strategy aligned
- Strengthened consistency across Treasury Wine Estates’ global brand portfolio
Reflection
Even without a backend overhaul, strategic design and content updates — paired with strong agency collaboration — can dramatically extend the life and impact of a digital property. The Beringer.com redesign balanced immediate brand needs with long-term platform planning.
Key Questions
How do you modernize a website without replacing the backend?
By separating the front-end refresh from the infrastructure question and designing around the platform's constraints rather than against them. On Beringer.com, Bex maximized existing CMS capabilities for the immediate work while documenting backend limitations and sequencing a replatform roadmap for the next investment cycle.
How do you manage multi-party coordination on a brand refresh?
The Beringer.com engagement involved an external design agency, brand photography shoots, and Treasury Wine Estates' marketing, brand, and IT teams. Bex owned the timeline, managed stakeholder review cycles, and ensured all deliverables met both the brand's premium positioning and portfolio consistency standards.
How do you plan for a platform migration when budget and timing are not ready?
By making the future work legible before it is needed. On Beringer.com, Bex documented backend limitations and platform improvement opportunities as a roadmap, giving leadership a clear investment case and sequencing plan for when budget and strategy aligned for the full replatform.