Image Credit : Bouncing Orange
Project Overview
The POURVIN Light project was initiated through the the love of red wine and was pushed along because of the sheer originality of the concept. Wine Geeks around the world are marvelling at the simplicity of the product, its elegant design and absolute functionality.
Getting "the nod" from wine professionals was a key element to our development and design. We took advice from some of Australia's top wine industry brains while creating the POURVIN Light.
We wanted to give the wine industry a reliable and beautiful tool to improve the decanting process. We also wanted to educate the wider wine drinking public about the age old art of decanting using light and the benefits it brings.
Project Commissioner
Project Creator
Team
Joshua Morabito
Michael Hoppe
Alexandra Bulgeries
Project Brief
Our mission was to bring the ceremony of decanting with light into this century and make it easy, stylish and accessible. It took more than 2 years to develop the POURVIN Light and it's been a passionate journey.
As it ages, red wine naturally produces sediment in the bottle. While this sediment can be a status symbol it can also significantly damage the look and taste of the wine. It is important to separate the sediment from the clear wine while pouring from the bottle and the traditional way to do this is by using a candle to see when the sediment arrives at the shoulder and to stop pouring. While a candle is effective it has many disadvantages --soot, smoke and flicker.
Working through the technical aspects of the POURVIN Light was critical, ensuring the position, intensity, spread and colour of an LED would penetrate all colours of glass and red wine. Then we had the variety of bottle and neck shapes to contend with. And finally pinning down the way the product should look and feel to suit a variety of users.
Project Innovation / Need
Sommeliers around the world have been hindered by the problem of lack of visibility when decanting red wine. Often this means that there is far too much precious red wine left in the bottle --- to err on the side of caution -- in case some of the nasty sediment slips into the decanter. The wine lover of course wants to enjoy every clear drop. And a fascinating part of the decanting process is to actually see the amount of sediment which has accumulated, especially when learning about wine and how it ages. All of these things added up to a need for a reliable tool to deliver consistent illumination in a precise location while decanting.
The POURVIN Light is a world first in design and technology. There is nothing else like it, which has astonished wine makers, writers, educators and sommeliers. It is completely fit for purpose, has an efficient long lasting LED which doesn't emit heat or break, has an inbuilt tilt switch which turns the light on at precisely the right moment and times out after 60 seconds, thus preserving battery life. There is no ON/OFF switch to fumble with.
Design Challenge
In designing the POURVIN Light we had 2 main goals:
1. Create something that the wine industry would embrace.
2. Offer something to the wider wine drinking public that would enhance their overall wine experience.
Goal #1 was the most challenging. Replacing a candle and the romance associated with this traditional way of decanting wouldn't be easy. We decided that the device should be made of noble materials and the technology had to be as good as, or better, than a candle. We undertook extensive research and testing. Several casing designs were considered. We sought wine expert opinion during development. Such a device would be used on the finest and most valuable of wines and would be used in high usage environments like restaurants. We ultimately settled on two different models, the luxury hand polished stainless steel COLLECTOR and the lightweight, silicone PROFESSIONAL model (in black or red).
Our second goal would be easier if the wine industry endorsed the products so it was vital that we achieved Goal #1 first. Now we are ready to communicate to general public with confidence.
Sustainability
The POURVIN Light was designed to be an alternative to inefficient wax candles. The long lasting LED (lifespan rated at +50,000 hours) is powered by 2 X AAA batteries. There is an inbuilt tilt switch which activates the light at the right moment and it automatically turns off after 60 seconds thus preserving battery life. In a professional setting (e/g restaurants, wine bars) we recommend rechargeable batteries.
Product Design - Consumer
This award recognises a component or overall product. Consideration given to aspects that relate to human usage, aesthetics, selection of components and materials, and the resolution of assembly, manufacturing and the overall function.
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