Thinking outside the box…

03 February 2014

The design brief for this product was to bring ‘bag in box’ wine into the 21st century. In order to do so, it was decided that wine in a box had to become ‘fashionable’. With the knowledge that 8 out of every 10 bottles of wine bought to drink at home are bought by women plus the knowledge that handbags are at the top of a woman’s most wanted list, the Vernissage Wine Handbag was, without doubt, the most obvious fashion choice.

This clever idea was the brainchild of Takis Soldatos of Oenoforos. In cooperation with Sofia Blomberg who has worked in advertising and fashion for over 20 years, a line of sophisticated, ‘designer’ Wine Handbags was created. Their excellence was immediately acknowledged as, in 2010, they won both the "Most Innovative Design" in the Carton Awards 2010 and Gold in the Pentawards 2010. Acknowledgement of their originality and quality continues and in 2013 the Wine Handbags were awarded Bronze in the Harpers Design Awards.

The designers have also been clever enough to ensure that what is in the handbag is just as pleasing as the packaging. “Design is an important part of the brand,” Takis explains, “but it is also important that the contents reflect the same quality as the design so the customer knows exactly what can be expected.” He has succeeded. All three blends have a Pays D’OC appellation and are young, fresh and fruity. The Viognier/Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah were awarded Silver Medals in 2011 and 2012 and Takis is proud to announce that the Cabernet Sauvignon/Syrah won Silver at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2013.

The Vernissage Wine Handbag was launched in Sweden and its success has now spread to Canada (particularly the 3 litre version), China, Japan and Europe with the launch in the UK through The Exceptional Wine Company Ltd (TEWC) just before Christmas 2012. The Wine Handbags are bought by both men and women of almost any age . . which shows the breadth of the appeal of this innovative product. Since the UK launch, TEWC has not only been inundated with orders from the UK but is currently also exporting to Australia and the US (where the Wine Handbags are not yet available) despite the hefty delivery charge, France, Germany, Spain, Belgium and the Falkland Islands.

“The reaction has been incredible”, says Carolyn Butler, Director of TEWC. “We have been inundated by the press asking to do articles – Hello!, the Daily Mail, Stylist to mention a few and we have received Thank You letters from our customers for sending them such an original and stunning product.” The fact that sales in the UK from a standing start have risen to thousands within such a short space of time absolutely acknowledges the correctness and outstanding appeal of the design and contents of the Vernissage Wine Handbag.