Decades ago, an American man of history with an "understated style", Ernest Hemingway said- "Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing."

Well who could fault the man who was a connoisseur of the colorful adventures of Life in places far and wide!

Traveling a little ahead from his times, what image do most of us conjure when we think of wine? Maybe the various flavors (colors) it comes in or a beautiful scenery of the French orchards and breweries probably, right?

Wine infact has been the mark of high culture throughout history of mankind. But can it be a sign of high couture too?

If these wonderful designs by art director, Sofia Blomberg is to be believed, yes, wines do make for a fashionable accessory for all the ladies out there.

Vernissage, is a collection of exclusively created handbags by Swedish art director- Sofia Blomberg, in collaboration with Takis Soldatos, a luxury wine expert. It is basically a "bag-in-bag box of wine disguised as a designer handbag".

With a huge work experience behind her name, Sofia has been professionally associated for the past 20 years with various national and international product brands like Oenoforos, Telia, KappAhl, Carovin, H&M, Oriflame and Breuniger.

The first shipment of the bags was launched in 2009-10 in the U.S markets with Squish Wines as their distribution partner. Since wine is a much sought after drink, instead of other strong alcoholic beverages,  by women as reported by Gallup, the wine-box handbag collection seems a innovative idea not only in terms of fashion but for its design methodology.

The designer adds that the "the idea behind Vernissage was to come up with a playful approach that speaks to the modern, female wine consumer. Hence, a couture cardboard box purse filled with high quality wines from the French wine region- Pays d'Oc".

This funky birkin-style booze accessory is available in three varieties, paralleling the wine types - white (Chardonnay/Viognier), Red (Syrrah/ cab Blend) and Rose.

Keeping in view its popularity in the social circles and its innovative design , Vernissage was awarded the "Most Innovative" product at the 2010 Carton Awards, besides the pretigious Gold Award at the world's largest packaging design competition- the Pentawards.

Coming to E-junkie's personal take, the bags sure look awesome. It seems like a  breath of fresh air in the trending ladies fashion arena. Usually the two available extremes in the female bag couture has been to produce sensible office-going bags, or the hands-on shimmery clutches hand totes for evenings or the other extreme that of absolute pink-flossed material. But who would have imagined a portable wine bag like this!

For those of you apprehensive about the wine/ alcohol part of the deal, just stop fretting too much. If the wine is good enough and you have the style to carry it off nicely, this is the thing to grab off the racks!

Have a look at these creative drinkaware collection by Sofia, below.


































So ladies and the gentleman looking to woo their lady friends, this seems like an ideal gift to hand out without a rhyme or reason. What do you think? Do leave a reply if you agree.

For pricing and purchase details, visit their website quickly.

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