Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/111102
Although many wineries are customizing their bottles, spirits producers such as Crystal Head Vodka are willing to take a more extreme approach. BY J E N N IFER STRAILEY Bespoke Bottles Wine takes a more 'spirited' approach to packaging Vodka on Scottish Diva Vodka took the concept literally, producing a spirit with a string of crystals and gemstones in the bottle for a tidy $1 million, reported The Huffington Post. Even more extravagant, Henri IV Dudognon Heritage created the world's most expensive Cognac. The $2 million bottle is dipped in 24-karat gold and sterling platinum, and decorated with 6,500 brilliant-cut diamonds. Perhaps a bottle of the house red instead? While the wine industry increasingly experiments with custom bottles, and the rocks, anyone? 70 V I N E YARD & WINERY MANAGEMENT | Mar - Apr 2013 in many cases, takes cues from the aesthetically adventurous spirits business, the wine, as they say, remains the thing. "An interesting aspect of the wine category versus some other alcohol categories is that the packaging isn't the most expensive component," noted Sean Gallagher, Owens-Illinois' vice president of sales for wine in North America. "As a result, there are slight profile changes to wine bottles versus something extreme." Leonardi Mocci, West Coast specialty glass sales manager for Bruni Glass, an Italian company with offices in Benicia, Calif., agreed. "In packaging, spirits would be the wild world, and wine the conservative one." w w w. v w m m e d i a . c o m