Gallo Family Vineyards

Every year the Best Design & Packaging Award is hotly contested – this year was no exception. In the end, our judges selected Gallo’s pink handbag as the winner thanks to its innovative re-design of the bag in box.

The clutch-style “handbag” contains the equivalent of two bottles of White Grenache rosé wine. According to Gallo, the idea behind the design was to take some of the excitement from the fashion industry and inject it into the BIB category, appealing directly to the rosé wine consumer. Our panel thought this was a brave move: “In a staid category, Gallo stepped out of its comfort zone. This could’ve had a negative impact on sales.” Instead, the product, which is listed in Tesco stores nationwide, is described by those in the know as “incredibly successful” commercially. (In addition to moving away from the classic BIB design, Gallo decided to use a 1.5-litre format instead of the traditional 3-litre format in order to keep below the all important £10 threshold).

“The wine trade can be a bit blinkered at times. Gallo has thought of something outside the trade, which is a good way of getting people to buy BIB,”said one judge. “Gallo takes its role as a leading company seriously and is obviously trying to shake up perceptions.”

The handbag has been marketed as a style accessory and has been suported by an advertising campaign in glossy women’s magazines under the strapline, “White Grenache – loved by women almost as much as they love their handbags”. Gallo is currently trialling an alternative version with a tag and a carry handle. It is also exploring a possible tie-up wih a design house to produce a limited edition designer version. The company is also considering rolling out red and white versions of the BIB.

Click to see the award presentation at this years ceremony