Wine & Design

Design / 17 Apr 2017

Grape and grain: how an Italian flooring company rolled out the barrels

Those who know Listone Giordano will be familiar with the fine wooden floors it has produced for decades, but may not know the company’s long history. It was founded in 1870 by Eugenio Margaritelli, who worked wood on an industrial...

Design / 12 Apr 2017

In the pink: we toast the enduring health of Milan institution Bar Basso

Anyone who has been in Milan during Salone del Mobile will most likely have spent time at Bar Basso. For a few decades, it has been the place to convene and swap stories. A large percentage of the design community...

Lifestyle / 17 Mar 2017

Tipsy tech: House of Peroni’s boozy take on virtual reality

Each spring, the House of Peroni residency hits London, offering an immersive drinking experience that promises to both bend the mind and excite the palate. To do this, Peroni team up with boundary-pushing artistic talent. Recall last year’s edition, where The...

Lifestyle / 6 Mar 2017

Massimo Vitali reaches new heights as HeavenSake fetes its new launch

Launched last year, Franco-Japanese sake label HeavenSake positions itself as an alternative to champagne. Initiated by Carl Hirschmann with publisher Benjamin Eymere and Etienne Russo, founder of production company Villa Eugénie, the brand heralded its arrival with the suave and...

Design / 22 Feb 2017

Body image: Mathias Wendzinski captures oenological inner light and intimate gatherings

Mathias Wendzinski was experimenting with argentic photography, using a camera his father had given him, when he got his first assignment, documenting an event in Qatar. Until then, the Frenchman had worked as an assistant for artist Thierry Dreyfus and...

Design / 9 Jan 2017

Sverre Uhnger’s glasses are lovingly shaped to make individual brews taste and look their best

Beer brewing is a serious business in Norway, rooted in the country’s past. It gets a mention in early Norse mythology, and the Vikings were known to be keen. Local laws from around 1000AD required all farmers to brew and...

Design / 25 Nov 2016

Written in the stars: Veuve Clicquot brings the zodiac to life through set design

For the second year running, Veuve Clicquot has gathered a group of creatives for a project that marks the anniversary of Madame Clicquot’s death. A widow since 1805, she single-handedly took over her husband’s champagne enterprise at the age of...

Lifestyle / 9 Nov 2016

Spirited away: Nordic Spirits Lab is shaking up the drinks industry

‘There really hasn’t been anything interesting in spirits coming out of the Nordics for a long time,’ reflects Tobias Dahlberg, founder and managing director of Wonder Agency, a strategic design and innovation agency in Helsinki, Finland. ‘In the past...

Design / 26 Oct 2016

Imperial reign: Penfolds’ decadent Saint-Louis crystal serving ritual

Australian winemaker Penfolds has collaborated with Saint-Louis on a project that celebrates the winery’s latest release: a limited edition series of its 2012 Grange. Launched this month, the vintage arrives in an impressive bottle (a hefty six litres, as its...

Design / 18 Oct 2016

Route master: Louis XIII’s cognac travel trunk is an ode to adventure

We’ve always celebrated the art of collaboration, and the projects that emerge from these meetings of creative minds. So when Cognac house Louis XIII joined forces with luxury masters Hermès, Saint Louis and Puiforcat on an object that pays tribute...

Art / 17 Oct 2016

Cellar dweller: photographer Erwin Olaf immerses himself in the house of Ruinart

Champagne house Ruinart has been collaborating with artists and designers for a few years, joining forces with creative talent to bring to life the inspiration and history behind their products. After working with Maarten Baas, Hervé Van der Straeten, Nendo...

Design / 2 Oct 2016

Still life: brandy distiller Christoph Keller explains how art influences his business

At first sight, one could be forgiven for thinking Stählemühle is an ancient company doing things in ancient ways. Its fruit brandies are made on a small farm near Lake Constance in south Germany, using the same techniques that would...

A world of oenophile wonders and spirit-raising accoutrements