The wine and spirits category is one of the most competitive consumer markets. Crammed shelves, with products always faced at the edge, create a wall of differing brands all screaming for consumers’ attention. Whether a product is new or long established, brand building here must create trial and reinforce existing consumer relationships by advancing the product’s positioning. . .

• Read the report

Consumer packaging expert, Stergios Bititsios, challenges traditional views on drinks packaging and reviews two failed drinks cases where packaging seems to have been a decisive factor

In the competitive drinks sector, packaging can play a pivotal role in helping products stand out on shelf and in enhancing the overall consumption experience. Packaging’s role has changed from product protector to that of brand ambassador, mass communicator and a differentiator. This raises a serious question. Should packaging design be defined by artistic creativity and attempts at brand expression, or should it be the result of scientific research and co-creation?

• Read the feature

G.H. Mumm, Champagne sponsor of the Academy of Culinary Arts Annual Awards of Excellence for over 10 years, has unveiled the results of a partnership with three of its recent winners. The chefs, the UK’s hottest new culinary talents, devised a series of wonderful dishes, each paired with a G.H. Mumm Champagne.

• Read the report

Hearts flutter on Campari's latest art label bottles

Campari has launched a new art label bottle for 2011 created by the Brazilian-born pop culture artist Romero Britto. This is the fourth in a series of Campari limited edition bottles, which began in 2010 to celebrate Campari’s 150 Year Anniversary.

Following in the footsteps of AVAF, Tobias Rehberger and Vanessa Beacroft, Britto’s contemporary new label is an adaptation of his famous “A New Day” artwork and is designed to represent "the pulsating red heart of the brand".

Campari Romero Britto art label bottls are available from Waitrose, Sainsburys, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons. 70cl RRP £13.29.

The Edrington Group's new addition to The Famous Grouse’s range of blended Scotch whiskies – The Naked Grouse – called for a specially crafted white flint bottle.
• Read the report

Grant’s top range 25 Year Old blended Scotch whisky called for an ultra heavyweight bottle in high visual-quality cosmetic white flint glass enhanced with complex embossing
• Read the report

Carry along cocktails

Manchester Drinks Company is supplying selected ASDA stores with its pre-mixed cocktails in a new format. The My Cocktail brand – Mojito and Cosmopolitan flavours – are packaged in 1.5 litre foil pouches with easy-pour taps.

Richard Benjamin, MD of Manchester Drinks, said: “The design lends itself to being taken along for a picnic or to a barbeque as the foiled material allows for fast cooling, while each pouch is lighter to carry than cans or bottles of an equivalent volume, and they can be securely resealed."

Blended in the UK with natural ingredients, both flavours are 10%abv and have a RRP of £13.00. The easy-to-use tap adds convenience and increases the shelf life of the product to up to three months once opened.
• Read more about cocktails

As increasing numbers of people around the world are discovering a taste for wine and exploring the immense choice of styles now available, never before has label design had such an important role to play. Felicity Murray investigates the visual and functional advantages of purpose-made self-adhesive labels

Today’s ‘new generation’ younger wine drinkers may be more open to creative and imaginative design, but they are equally discerning about the quality. Packaging communicates all there is to know about the product inside, so wineries need to consider their choice of bottle, label and closure with as much care and passion as they do the wine itself.

• Read the report