Write in wine with the Wink Pen

A re-fillable fountain pen that lets you write with wine is poised to launch onto the market after attracting US$44,000 worth of investment on crowdfunding site Kickstarter.

Virtually any liquid with a staining property can be sucked up by the Wink Pen and used as ink, offering a “reusable, sustainable” alternative to traditional pens.

Explaining her invention Jess Chan, an Oregon-based designer, said: “In essence, the WINKpen was born from the desire to create a sustainable alternative to something that many of us use in our daily lives.

“Traditional pens are, more often than not, disposable products; once the pre-loaded ink stem is exhausted, they essentially just become empty plastic cases that inevitably wind up in a land-fill somewhere. With the WINKpen, however, an ink reload can be found right there in your kitchen.”

The pen, which will retail at $60 (£39), also features a reversible glass nib that can be used for fine writing and calligraphy.

So far the project has attracted 600 backers and raised $44,000 of its $47,000 (£30,560) target, with three days of the campaign left to run.

Ms Chan expects to begin shipping the device as early as July this year.