Tasting notes:

This year’s ultimate piece of wine packaging was Stonevik, a top-end Bordeaux blend from the Vik Winery in Chile. Garnering universal praise from the judges, the package was loved for its beautiful box with blind-embossed external surface, and the appealing use of matt foil on the capsule and fine paper stock for the label. Both striking and tactile, the design was deemed extremely high-end as well as memorable, making one want to reach for the package. While the bottle was clearly extremely heavy, it felt justifiable for such a luxury wine made in tiny quantities. Meanwhile, the image of stacked stones, carefully balanced, was in keeping with the wine’s natural positioning, and thought to be a clever way of communicating that. (Patrick Schmitt MW)