World’s first side-embossed screw cap nabs De Bortoli Wines Innovator of the Year trophy

29 Nov 2018 --- Australian family-owned winery De Bortoli Wines has won the inaugural Winery Innovator of the Year trophy at the prestigious International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London this month. The winery was recognized for continuing to be at the forefront of Australia’s pale dry Rosé movement, particularly for its unique packaging on its new Rosé Rosé which features a color side-embossed screw cap that is the first registered closure decoration of its kind in the world.

The only Australian winery to be shortlisted for the award, De Bortoli Wines won the trophy for being an innovative driver in the global wine industry from vineyard-to-glass.

“We worked with our supplier Interpack to combine several capabilities, including photographic printing, embossing and UV printing into the cap where just the ‘Rosé’ is embossed,” De Bortoli Wines Yarra Valley Estate Manager, Leanne De Bortoli, tells PackagingInsights. “Marking the beginning of a new wave of closure decorations, the label and the rose on the cap are aligned during the bottling process, perfectly presenting the brand personality across the entire bottle.”

In presenting the award, the judges at the International Wine and Spirit Competition in London said: “De Bortoli Wines has produced an integrated innovation, a visual-tactile way of bringing the essence of what's in the bottle to the outside.”

Leanne De Bortoli believes that packaging plays a key role in influencing purchasing decisions within the wine category. De Bortoli Wines has built a successful brand on the back of unique and recognizable packaging designs.

“Part of our La Boheme Act Two Dry Pinot Noir Rosé’s popularity in the early days was due to the interesting label on the bottle and the gorgeous pale pink color inside,” says Leanne De Bortoli. “It doesn’t matter how good the wine is, you need to attract customers’ attention with eye-catching packaging … and at the right price point too. The color of the Rosé is an important factor as pale Rosés let customers know that the wine is generally dry in style. The paler the better.”

“We are thrilled to win this IWSC award, which acknowledges our commitment to winemaking innovation. From our iconic Noble One to igniting Australia’s love of pale, dry rosé with the Rosé Revolution, we are constantly exploring new and exciting wine styles; wines that will inspire our customers.”

“The beautiful screw-cap for our new release Rosé Rosé is designed to grab your attention and leave a memorable impression,” she concludes.

By Joshua Poole