138
Beverage Media
October 2012
LAST
CALL
Y E A R S
The Year was
2002...
BY W. R. TISH
A decade can seem like a very long—or
very short—time. This month we look
back exactly ten years. What was hap-
pening when we zoomed in on packag-
ing as the cover story back then?
Mionetto had just launched their
“
Il” Prosecco with a “revolutionary”
crown cap, retailing for $9. Today the
Prosecco category is flying and the
brand is still rolling, having extended
Il to include a Moscato and Rosé.
Another Prosecco innovation from
2002—
Villa Sandi’s patented “Glaxia”
bottle with built-in insulation—did not
stand the test of time as well.
Among wines, beers and spirits an-
nouncing label or packaging makeovers
in October 2002: Santa Carolina Chil-
ean varietal wines; Michelob and Mich-
elob Light; Dubonnet Rouge and Blanc
aperitifs; and Bushmills Irish Whiskey.
Champagne Duval-Leroy was released
in 375ml bottles for the first time, and
Veuve Clicquot unveiled its carton that
converted into an ice bucket.
Arguably 2002’s edgiest new pack-
age sprang from the always creative
Sidney Frank: Coyopa Rum. “Designed
to revolutionize retail shelves and back
bars everywhere,” we wrote, “Coyopa’s
bottle label is animated by a backlight
that is activated each time the bottle
is lifted. The light illuminates pictures
of dancers in sequence, giving the il-
lusion that the dancers are moving. A
music chip is also activated when the
bottle is lifted, and a steel drum song,
composed specially for Coyopa, accom-
panies the dance.” Alas, the package,
which Frank called “quite literally a
million dollar bottle” and which sold
for about $50 at the time, did not
fare so well in the marketplace as the
electronics ultimately proved not as
durable as had been hoped.
■
As
Americans
were still adjust-
ing to screwcaps,
Mionetto went for
a crown cap.
Veuve
Clicquot shook
up gift-boxing with
its ice-bucket
carton.
