LG, James Suckling, Atelier Mendini and Alessi on the art and craft of wine
LG Signature's wine cellar features cutting edge technology and sleek design to celebrate the art of winemaking, with special collaborators with wine critic James Suckling and Atelier Mendini
Earlier this year, LG Signature launched a new revolutionary wine cellar with integrated technology and dedicated features that made it less a storage piece and more a dedicated tool for preserving and celebrating wine. The Korean company has since created a small cultural universe around the piece, with further initiatives to cement its commitment to the product. To celebrate the launch of the wine cellar, LG partnered with wine critic James Suckling and with Atelier Mendini and Alessi, to add a multilayered experience to the art of wine.
With a capacity of up to 65 bottles, the cellar limits temperature fluctuation to ensure flavour and texture are preserved. Further features include optimal humidity control, and a multi-temperature facility that allows different wines to be stored in different conditions. The glass door protects bottles from UV light, and tapping it allows an illuminated view inside without opening it (hence protecting the internal temperature). Protecting wine from light, temperature fluctuations and vibration, the cellar was designed with aesthetic as well as practicality in mind, with a careful choice of material, intuitive user features and expertly arranged structure.
James Suckling's ‘Notes from the Cellar'
Suckling has been working alongside LG’s team to offer insight into storing (and serving) wine. For the occasion, Suckling has created a ‘journey of discovery’ for LG, creating a special (virtual) experience for its customers with a long-distance tasting session that merges his wine expertise with the cellar’s features and capabilities.
Titled ‘Notes from the Cellar’, the session included tips on wine tasting’s most crucial elements, from the right temperature to the most appropriate choice of glassware. ‘Great wine touches your soul, it can be emotional, you taste it and it takes your breath away. That’s what I love about wine, it highlights those [important] moments,’ he says. ‘Wine and wine making is art, but there is also technology with it.’
Corkscrew by Alessandro Mendini
To cement its commitment to design, LG Signature also brought back to life Alessandro Mendini’s last known sketch. A piece from his celebrated corkscrew series for Alessi, the limited-edition will complement the wine cellar offering a new layer to the experience of enjoying wine. The corkscrew features Mendini’s characteristic anthropomorphic figure and the late designer’s humorous take on design.
He and LG got together in 2018, when Mendini directed a series of curated exhibitions for the company. Appreciating its technological approach to design, he said at the time: ‘the moment I saw LG Signature products, I sensed that the brand strives for harmony between function and design to the extreme.’
While Mendini himself was not a wine enthusiast (he usually only had a few sips, recall his daughters Fulvia and Elisa Mendini, and ‘preferred red wine, saying it was a healthy antioxidant'), he designed colorful wine labels for his friends’ bottles and of course created the corkscrew, one of the best known and most recognizable contemporary wine tools.
‘We see [this collaboration] as a true celebration of art and technology coming together,' says LG’s Kim Jin-hong.
INFORMATION
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Rosa Bertoli was born in Udine, Italy, and now lives in London. Since 2014, she has been the Design Editor of Wallpaper*, where she oversees design content for the print and online editions, as well as special editorial projects. Through her role at Wallpaper*, she has written extensively about all areas of design. Rosa has been speaker and moderator for various design talks and conferences including London Craft Week, Maison & Objet, The Italian Cultural Institute (London), Clippings, Zaha Hadid Design, Kartell and Frieze Art Fair. Rosa has been on judging panels for the Chart Architecture Award, the Dutch Design Awards and the DesignGuild Marks. She has written for numerous English and Italian language publications, and worked as a content and communication consultant for fashion and design brands.
-
The McLaren W1 is the latest in the sports car maker's tech-saturated Ultimate Series
First F1, then P1 and now W1, McLaren Automotive reveals its latest limited-edition supercar to the world, a £2m concoction of hybrid power and active aero that is, unsurprisingly, already sold out
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Paul Rudolph at The Met: ‘from Christmas lights to megastructures’
‘Materialized Space: The Architecture of Paul Rudolph’ opens at the Met in New York, exploring the modernist master's work through a feast of an exhibition
By Stephanie Murg Published
-
‘London: Lost Interiors’ gathers unseen imagery of some of the capital’s most spectacular homes
This new monograph is a fascinating foray into the interior life of London, charting changing tastes, emerging styles and the shifting social history of grand houses in the heart of a fast-changing city
By Jonathan Bell Published
-
Toklas’ own-label wine is a synergy of art, taste and ‘elevated simplicity’
Toklas, a London restaurant and bakery, have added another string to its bow ( and menu) with a trio of cuvées with limited-edition designs
By Tianna Williams Published
-
Château Galoupet is teaching the world how to drink more responsibly
From reviving an endangered Provençal ecosystem to revisiting wine packaging, Château Galoupet aims to transform winemaking from terroir to bottle
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
London’s most refreshing summer cocktail destinations
Cool down in the sweltering city with a visit to London’s summer cocktail destinations
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Learn how to curate a simple cheese board with perfect port pairings
The experts at artisan cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield share tips for curating a simple but sophisticated cheese board, with port and cheese pairings for every taste
By Melina Keays Last updated
-
IWA sake brewery by Kengo Kuma is Best Roofscape: Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
IWA sake brewery in Japan, by Kengo Kuma & Associates, scoops Best Roofscape at the Wallpaper* Design Awards 2022
By Tony Chambers Last updated
-
The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery by Neri & Hu offers a twist on Chinese tradition
Neri & Hu designs headquarters for The Chuan Malt Whisky Distillery in China's Sichuan province
By Yoko Choy Last updated
-
St Pancras Renaissance Hotel opens Booking Office 1869 restaurant
Booking Office 1869 restaurant, at the St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, is set to become a new London hotspot. Developer Harry Handelsman and designer Hugo Toro tell us about its creation
By Mary Cleary Last updated
-
Sweet Sauternes: France’s forgotten wine gets a reputational makeover
Saskia de Rothschild is on a mission to revive the popularity of Sauternes white wine, with Rieussec, produced and packaged with a fresh, more sustainable approach
By Mary Cleary Last updated