NEWS Keep Cool and Carry
NEWS Keep Cool and Carry On John Jewell John Jewell Design Trends in Labelling Towards more funky, trendy design – the expert’s point of view John Jewell Design was established in 1995 with the sole aim of creating innovative branding and labelling for the wine industry. We asked John to tell us a little more about his background… The French company ICEMAX presented a unique high-end bottlecooling concept at Vinexpo Hong Kong 2016. ICEMAX is not only a bottle cooler, but also an original and effective vector of communication. Both case and cooler, ICEMAX is able to highlight products and attract customers. Protected by a patent, the ICEMAX cooler concept means no more ice and water dripping on the table, with the cooler perfectly marrying the shape of the bottle, keeping it cooler longer. ICEMAX owes its excellent performance to a double insulating wall containing clay, and enabling the coolness to be delivered over a long period. This technology enables ICEMAX to cool a bottle in less trhan 15 minutes and to keep it cool for more than two hours. Aiming to be less cumbersome and more aesthetically pleasing than its key competitors, ICEMAX comes in a number of sizes – from beer-can coolers right up to magnum format • When I started out I had two or three hundred clients in Australia and I would drive around and see people at their vineyards. At that time there were 3,200 winegrowers in Australia, and I realised that if we were only working on wine, the market was too small. So I went to London and had a meeting with Martin Campion, who was head of design for Direct Wines, and after a short meeting we had his account. Today, our core markets are Australia, China and Europe, especially in Norway and Sweden. What are the trends today? Millennium buyers are the biggest target in the world today, and it’s a very difficult one, because they rarely ever buy the same thing twice – so they’re a moving target. In the past six months, as craft beer designs have been changing the world’s thinking on designs and packaging, the wine industry is tending to follow suit. A year or so ago in the wine industry it was all about stately, classic, distinguished products. Now they’re tending towards funky, trendy, out-there, look-different, and be loud off the shelf. I see a major trend around the world as following what craft beers have done. What’s the secret to a successful design job? You can design whatever you like, but it has to be economically viable. Printing techniques vary greatly around the world. We’ve done a lot of sleeve design work, but production around the world is a bit of a problem with sleeves. Screen-printing on bottles looks fantastic, but logistically, you have a problem. The world market is looking for something new in wine, and our Holy Grail is trying to find out what the next big trend will be! • Keeping Red Wine From “Turning” Pulltex demonstrated its AntiOx stopper at Vinexpo Hong Kong, a revolutionary and innovative device that preserves wine in an open bottle during 10 days keeping all the organoleptic characteristics of the wine unchanged. Once a wine bottle is closed with the AntiOx Stopper, the oxidation of wine is interrupted and the oxygen is no longer in contact with the wine and is neither producing acetic acid nor damaging the wine. It is reported to be recommended by the Spanish Sommelier Association and the Spanish Academy of Sommeliers • 12 VINEXPO DAILY / REVIEW EDITION / MONDAY 6 TH JUNE 2016
PRESS CORNER The LE PAN Touch Wine at the heart of an exceptional lifestyle The Drinks Business @ Vinexpo Hong Kong senior staff writer Lucy Jenkins’ “take” on the show The Drinks business Hong Kong is the Asian arm of the drinks business magazine, Europe’s most widely read trade publication on the drinks industry. For their website and daily newsletter, they average around 70,000-80,000 readers per day. Their senior staff writer, Lucy Jenkins tells us what she was looking for at Vinexpo Hong Kong. I was primarily looking to connect with the world’s leading winemakers, merchants and suppliers for Asia-focused stories on fine wine, as well as pursuing new opportunities for advertorials in conjunction with our sales teams. As with all major trade conferences, this is an ideal spot for garnering some potential new sales opportunities – especially over a glass of wine! By the end of Vinepo, many people are too frazzled to be interviewed, but some of the masterclasses from the major wine companies – Wines of Australia, Argentina, Greece, etc., were extremely well organised and informative. What did you find most interesting this year? This year, I found the pure breadth of wine available really exciting. So many smaller countries – for example Georgia – are really getting their foot in the door when it comes to targeting the Asian (and especially Chinese) consumers. Also a good showing from spirits from all corners of the earth was a welcome addition. What do you see as being the biggest groundswell trends in the industry? Lucy Jenkins Senior Staff Writer, The Drinks business Hong Kong For wine it would be the broadening of consumers’ palates. I have written countless articles on HK’s consumption “no longer focused on Bordeaux” and so there is greater opportunity than ever before for non-French wines to get a look in. For example, Spain, Italy, Chile, Australia are just some examples of how other countries are becoming extremely popular all over Asia. Champagne continues to bubble away nicely, though Prosecco is gaining ground in China – only the good stuff mind. For spirits there has been a surge towards sipping spirits i.e. rum, vodka etc as better made spirits find their way over here • CLICK HERE FOR LUCY JENKINS’ ARTICLES FROM VINEXPO LE PAN, a pre-eminent global fine wine and lifestyle magazine, is published in separate English and Chinese editions, covering the world’s greatest wines, their creators and collectors, as well as cuisine, travel, equestrian sports and other “pastimes of passion”. We spoke to the team of this spectacular publication about their thoughts concerning Vinexpo Hong Kong. Rebecca Gibb, LE PAN’S Wine Editor and a Master of Wine, has followed Vinexpo since 2007, as has LE PAN Associate Editor Guy Woodward, a former editor of Decanter magazine. Their editorial manager for China, Kent Tsang, was attending her 10th Vinexpo this year. They all appreciate the development of tastings and seminars around the exhibition. GROUNDSWELL TRENDS LE PAN Editor-in-Chief Darius Sanai, who is a collector himself, notes: “Friends and readers are buying older Bordeaux vintages for immediate drinking. Provenance and “ex-cellar” wines are becoming more important than ever. The desire for top red Burgundies from the likes of DRC, Rousseau, Domaine Leroy and Cathiard is unabated, and there is an increasing demand for whites from producers such as Coche-Dury and Roulot. There’s also a new vogue for “extinct” producers like Rene Engel, Jacky Truchot, and, in the Rhône, Marius Gentaz. Collectors love great California reds but can’t get hold of enough of them. People are now buying to drink, not invest, which has to be good.” Regarding China, Tsang observes, “Large formats are an increasing trend – useful when hosting a dinner. Serious Rebecca Gibb Wine Editor, LE PAN Kent Tsang Editorial Manager (Chinese edition), LE PAN collectors increasingly go to wine merchants rather than auctions for rare bottles. Or they rely on membership platforms where they can barter their wines.” The question remains, what did LE PANS’s team look for primarily at the show? Tsang says, “I always look forward to tasting new releases and gaining insights from top producers from around the world.” And when it comes to Vinexpo Hong Kong’s Academy, featuring a rich program of conferences, talks and tastings, Tsang says the most interesting for her were “The Almaviva magnum vertical tasting and ‘The elegance of cool vintages’ tasting by Ornellaia.”• vinexpodaily.com VINEXPO DAILY / REVIEW EDITION / MONDAY 6 TH JUNE 2016 13
