Penfolds' innovative artisan-designed Ampoule packaging for its rare 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon has been named the best launch of the year at the Drinks Business Awards 2013, held at this week's London International Wine Fair.
Judges praised the company's Ampoule project as “edgy” and “brave”, with the launch of the packaging, in June last year, described as one which “lifts the wine trade out of its comfort zone.”
The Australian winery beat five other entries to take the award,
Penfolds unveiled the limited edition glass Ampoule packs in Moscow last year, with only twelve of the eye-catching packages produced.
The packaging has been praised for introducing a unique wine packaging format, with hand?blown glass ampoules used to provide a striking presentation format for the wine.
The ampoules are further suspended within a Jarrah wood cabinet using a bespoke glass plumb.
The packages were created as a collaboration between four of South Australia’s leading artisans and craftsmen, together with the Penfolds' winemaking team, and were designed as a luxurious presentation format for the rare 2004 vintage – a single vineyard wine produced from the oldest continuously producing Cabernet Sauvignon vines in the world.
Adding to its exclusivity, when a decision is made to open the Ampoule, a senior member of the Penfolds team will personally attend a special opening ceremony for the owner. The winemaker will travel to the destination of choice, where the ampoule will be ceremoniously removed from its casing and opened using a specially designed, tungsten-tipped, sterling silver scribe.
“The Drinks Business ‘Best Launch’ award is a tribute to the dedication of the Penfolds team and our collaborators,” the acting managing director of Penfolds, Simon Marton, said.
“The award recognises the effort and achievement involved to launch a project of this size, which has been described as a ‘ground-breaking work of wine art’.”
Each of the twelve limited edition glass Ampoules produced has already been committed or sold.
Penfolds' innovative and exclusive Ampoule bottles have been praised for “lifting the wine industry out of its comfort zone”.
