Hip Tastes Blog

Design My Wine: Roberto Cavalli
filed under: Winning Wines

Woop, looks like another celeb designer has gotten in on the wine design thang. Busy Italian designer Roberto Cavalli - famous for his flamboyant, figure-hugging frocks worn by adventurous celebutantes on many a red carpet - has just released Roberto Cavalli Selection, a Tuscan IGT made with the assistance of Italian wine guru Carlo Ferrini. Just about 5,000 bottles were made of the debut vintage, 2004, a portion of which come in this appropriately flamboyant box covered in leopard print used in the designer's 1996 Spring/Summer collection and...

two black goblets. That's right, BLACK goblets. And while the black goblets are certainly impractical for those looking for the full wine tasting experience (in which a wine's appearance is a big part of enjoying the drink), I can't deny that they're dramatic, which suits Cavalli. In fact, I totally respect him for the leopard and black goblet flair. It's so...HIM.

Besides the leopard-print box packaging, a version of the wine called Cavalli Collection is also available packaged in a simple unlabeled black box. Much more boring, in my opinion. Each successive vintage the flamboyant Cavalli Collection versions will feature a new design from a past Cavalli line. Nice.

What's It Made Of?
It's made from a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Alicante Bouschet and aged in small oak barrels ("barriques" as the French say) for 18 months before spending an additional 12 in bottle prior to release. It's made at Agricola degli Dei, the designer's farm he's had for 30 or so years in Chianti; the wine was made in collaboration with his son, Tommasco.

And while the first bottles were for sale exclusively in Italy, word has it the good stuff will be for sale at "the most prestigious restaurants and wine shops of New York, Paris and London" beginning in March 2008. So much for the West Coast, huh? Guess that - just like when it comes to the fashion collections themselves - we're just not worthy. Ouch.

Posted by Courtney on June 19, 2008 01:15 PM