Architect Zaha Hadid Designs Unique Bottle & Box For Leo Hillinger's Icon Hill Wine.

Leo Hillinger presents an iconic wine with packaging created by an icon herself. On October 4th of this year, at the Albertina in Vienna, Austrian winemaker Leo Hillinger unveiled his exceptional red wine blend, the 2009 Icon Hill in a precious bottle and box created by Pritzker-winning architect Zaha Hadid.

"With the unique design and the ICON HILL ​​is optimally presented. Powerful and intense it is drawn from the creation in its spell. Zaha has perfectly embodied in the wine bottle shape."-- Leo Hillinger

Zaha Hadid, above, says of the design:
"The elongated volume of the bottle has been derived from the profile of liquid droplets. A continuous spatial curve was then projected onto the bottle’s surface, defining areas for the concave indentation and suggesting the waves created when droplets break a liquid’s surface.

The concave indentation and the bottle’s surface have the same curvature, enabling a set of bottles to interlock and be perceived as singular whole. A smaller indent and volume has been created at the base of the bottle for correct handling and to accommodate any tartrates.

To achieve the precision and accuracy required for production, the shape of the bottle was created using NURB-based CAD software. The bottle manufacturer directly implemented this 3D master geometry to produce the cast iron moulds for the glass forming process."

The Reviews
If you are wondering whether or not the wine is as good as the bottle, it has received a rating of 95/100 from Falstaff, the ultimate Austrian wine guide.



Falstaff chief Peter Moser who tasted the wine in advance and gave the following critique:
"Deep ruby ​​garnet with purple hues, subtle edge whitening. In the nose with fine Kräuterwürze backed mature heart cherry fruit, a hint of dark berries, spices in the background and nuances of fine wood, a delicate hint of nougat, multifaceted bouquet that develops well with air. On the palate, complex, extraktsüße dark fruit, prominent and well-integrated tannins that give the wine length, hints of blackberries and ripe plums, pleasant acidity that for vitality provides, salty minerality on the finish holds good, disposes of secure aging potential, fine cherry fruit in Rückgeschmack. If one were to fully enjoy this wine at this youthful stage, it is advisable to decant the bottle for a good two hours." (optimum eating ripeness 2016 - 2030)

and from René Gabriel:
"The color is a deep dark red with black core. On the nose the wine is fresh, cool and seems so very precise, fruit and seasoning are very harmonious with black berry fruit, smoky Brazil tobacco, licorice and black pepper. ICON HILL ​​displays a beautiful concentration. On the palate it is creamy, with dark caramel, prunes and ripe, balanced tannins stützende. This is not a wine that comes as a new multi-bomb wine, but considered his future and first in terms of class and harmony. Its beautiful balance we must here assume a potential that is loose and overheating of the first 10 years. His most beautiful ripe to eat I expect in about three to four years."



Only 999 bottles of ICON HILL are available. The ICON HILL ​​is available at 99 euros per bottle in all Leo Hillinger retailers and online www.leo-hillinger.at.

WTF? A Blackberry Flavored Energy Drink With Gold Flakes In Lieu of Sugar.

Launched early in 2013, WTF? is an original flavored water-based energy drink made with gold flakes instead of sugar. Manufactured in Germany, the Blackberry flavored water comes from Germany's Rhön nature park.



The name is a giggle and the packaging is gorgeous, from the bottle and hang tag to the case. They have even garnered an award for their website design.




The sugar free drink contains carbonated water, Blackberry extract, Ginseng, Vitamin C, Niacin, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Gold Flakes, 0.4% Taurin and 0.03% Caffeine







You can purchase individual bottles, a case of nine bottles or 9 cases (a pallet) here at their online store.

Absolut Redesigns Their Vodka Bottles To Communicate The Energy Behind The Flavors.

The Absolut Company has given many of their flavored range of vodkas a design overhaul. The re-designed bottles include Absolut Apeach, Absolut Pears, Absolut Raspberri, Absolut Vanilia, Absolut Mango, Absolut Ruby Red, Absolut Berri Açaí, Absolut Äpple, Absolut Cherrys, Absolut Gräpe, and Absolut Wild Tea. Last year, Absolut re-designed its classic flavours Absolut Peppar, Absolut Citron, Absolut Kurant and Absolut Mandrin.

Their press release does not mention re-designing the following flavored vodkas, some of which were just launched this year: Absolut Hibiskus, Absolut Cilantro, Absolut Orient Apple, Absolut Grapevine, Absolut Cherrykran whose present bottles are shown below:


The press release:
Absolut is proud to announce striking new designs for its entire range of flavoured vodkas. True to the brand’s creative heritage, the vibrant new designs bypass design conventions to artistically express the core essence of the flavours in the Absolut Vodka range.




“This is one of the most dramatic changes we’ve ever made, and our biggest and most transformative design project ever. Our goal was to give our customers distinctive designs that are unlike anything one has ever seen. Vibrant, captivating bottles that bring energy to any occasion and celebrate the fact that every flavour in the Absolut Vodka range is something extraordinary,” says Anna Kamjou, Global Design Director at Absolut. “The standard thinking says a fruit-flavoured vodka requires a picture of the fruit on the bottle. We wanted to break that convention. We asked our design team to reach into the symbolism and myths tied to the ingredients to find each flavour’s core essence -- and then amplify that essence through art.”



Bringing an artistic approach to the redesign of its flavour range makes sense for a company with deep roots in the art world. Since 1985, when the Absolut Vodka bottle appeared in the first art ad, Absolut has been making art part of its consumers’ experience. “Absolut has long challenged conventions through creativity,” says Kamjou. “This across-the-board redesign is another example of the brand’s originality and boldness.”








After interpreting each flavour’s core essence, the designers worked to bring these notions alive artistically. They followed a long tradition of Swedish design and craftsmanship, and brought a ‘by-hand’ aesthetic to the project. That is to say, they stepped away from their computers, took up paper, pens and brushes, and set out to communicate not a flavour per se, but the energy behind each flavour. With Absolut Apeach, for example, soft pastels and a light hand-drawn gesture were used to capture the fruit’s evanescent, sweet fragility and convey a sense of romance:






The design for Absolut Pears began with the fruit’s symbolic association with longevity and purity, and arrived at an abstract pear shape resembling the symbol for eternity:


For Absolut Raspberri, the emotion of love and passion is intensified through the abstract expressionist technique of throwing paint:



The same artistic process was repeated across the range.

“Already back in 1979 Absolut challenged the norm of what vodka should look like with an innovative – and today iconic – bottle design. Today we transform the design of flavoured vodka,” says Jonas Tåhlin, VP Global Marketing at The Absolut Company.”Our new bottles are modern, artistic and unlike anything else on the market. Put any one of them on the table, and it instantly becomes something to talk about.”

Credits:
Global Design Director: Anna Kamjou / The Absolut Company
Global Design Manager: Caroline Mörnås / The Absolut Company
Design Agency: The Brand Union
Creative Director: Mattias Lindstedt
Executive Strategy Director: Jonas Andersson

images courtesy of Absolut Company

Perrier By Warhol. New 2013 Andy Warhol Inspired Limited Edition Perrier Bottles.

In 1983, Andy Warhol produced more than 40 works of art inspired by Perrier. To celebrate these works, Perrier has collaborated with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts to create Perrier by Warhol–a limited-edition series of Perrier packaging based on Warhol’s original works.



1983: Andy Warhol’s Perrier pieces are representative of the Pop Art movement and the artist’s fascination with depicting everyday consumer products in unconventional ways:






2013: Warhol’s original works have inspired the Perrier by Andy Warhol collection of limited-edition Perrier packaging:


above: The 750 ml bottles come with four different labels. But since there are various quotes available on the bottles, there are 28 different combinations, each with a unique quote and design (label) combination.


above: The 220 ml bottles come with four different labels. But since there are various quotes available on the bottles, there are 28 different combinations, each with a unique quote and design (label) combination.


above: Four versions of the .5 liter bottles are available


above: Four versions of the 1 liter bottles are available

Available now wherever Perrier is sold.

Beck's Beer Unveils Their 2013 Limited Edition Art Labeled Bottles

After the runaway success of last yearʼs Beckʼs Art Labels project, Beckʼs Beer is upping the tempo even more by bringing together six of todayʼs most exciting artists, each tasked with giving their individual spin on the iconic Beckʼs bottle. Selected by Beckʼs, each artist was chosen on account of their groundbreaking, multi-disciplinary approach to art and music.



Beck’s Beer commissioned Heist for the second year running to create a short film for their 2013 Art Label series featuring the work of William Hundley, TM Sisters, The Date Farmers, Marc Ecko, Willis Earl Beal, and Kid Cudi (more about each artist at the end of the post).



The film takes you on a journey with the six artists, chronicling their creative process and the inspiration that led them to their final art labels, to be printed on 13.2 million bottles worldwide. In addition to producing the film, Heist shot the editorial photography for the 2013 Beck’s Art Label advertising campaign with each artist and their limited edition art label.



Heist collaborated with the featured artists to create one film telling the story of the project. This cinematic documentary explores the inspiration behind their selected artworks and captures elements of their creative practice in breathtaking 5K cinematography. Heist traveled to the sun bleached desert of the Coachella Valley, the expansive pastures of the Texas countryside, the warm waters of Miami Beach, and filmed in our own backyard in New York City to capture the 2013 lineup at work.



From William Hundleyʼs Umberto, a dynamic label that invokes a sense of wonder through a futurist photograph, to Willis Earl Bealʼs black and white sketch Nobody Knows, epitomizing his ethos of “Weʼre each nothing. Weʼre all everything”, Beckʼs gives artists an extraordinary canvas to broadcast their creative vision

Date Farmers:

Kid Cudi:

Marc Ecko:

TM Sisters:

Wiliam Earl Beal:

William Hundley:


To give you an insiderʼs look into each artistʼs journey, Beckʼs chronicled their creative process and the inspiration that led them to their final Art Label design. Watch the reveal of Beckʼs Art Labels 2013 with Kid Cudi, Marc Eckō, Willis Earl Beal, The Date Farmers, TM Sisters, and William Hundley.

MARC ECKō:

WILLIS EARL BEAL:

THE DATE FARMERS:

TM SISTERS:

WILLIAM HUNDLEY:


About the Artists

•Kid Cudi is a Grammy-Award winning, gold-selling musician and actor. Cudi is a leader of the urban alternative movement. His hit single “Day ‘n’ Nite” laid the groundwork for his major album debut.

•Marc Eckō is an American fashion designer, entrepreneur and artist who believes creativity is more about the journey than the destination. His art label features a photograph of an original sculpture that illustrates his process: Unlock, un-label.

•Willis Earl Beal is a musician, songwriter and visual artist who has lived a colorful life, filled with outsider art and a demand to be heard. His art label embodies his music: Understanding how an individual doesn’t represent the whole.

•TM Sisters are a Miami sibling duo who works in digital video performance, collages, VJing, fashion pieces and video games. Their techno, topical aesthetic shines through in an art label that depicts an epic pose of a flying woman shooting beams from her hands.

•William Hundley is an emerging photographer and artist with an original style that captures surreal imagery through simple means. His art label features a dynamic photo that invokes a sense of wonder and encourages questions.

•Date Farmers are an artist team that echoes Mexican-American heritage rooted in California pop culture. Their paintings, collages and sculptures – often featuring the dog – highlight duty and responsibility, keeping as close as they can to the truth.

Dedicated to supporting the best artistic talent, Beckʼs will showcase their artworks on 13.2 million labels, creating the worldʼs largest stage for artists. The bottles will be available at various liquor retailers.

images, info and videos courtesy of Protein, Becks and Heist.