The design project created by Studio Sonda for the Istrian wine brand Piquentum achieved significant international success at this year’s Creative Week in New York. The project, Piquentum Brut Nature, won an ADC Gold Cube at the ADC Awards and a Merit Award at The One Show, both organized by The One Club for Creativity and considered among the most important global events in design, creativity, and marketing communications.
At this year’s edition of the ADC Awards, which has recognized creative excellence in design and advertising for more than a century, the project received a Gold Cube in the category Packaging Design – Beverage – Single for the work “Label created by the wine itself.” At the same time, it received a Merit Award at The One Show in the category Design & Branding – Packaging – Specialty/Limited Edition.
What makes the project distinctive is the fact that the label was not conceived merely as a visual packaging element, but as a direct continuation of the wine production process itself. During the secondary fermentation of sparkling wine, a natural yeast sediment is created, which in standard production is typically removed and discarded through the disgorgement process. In the case of Piquentum Brut Nature, that very material was transformed into an organic label.
Over time, the label naturally reacts to environmental conditions and can develop noble mold and other changes, becoming a kind of living proof of the product’s natural character. At the same time, the entire concept remains fully aligned with EU regulations and standards related to packaging and product labeling.
The project was developed from the idea that packaging should not only communicate the identity of a brand, but physically carry traces of the product itself and the process through which it was created. Precisely because of the label’s unique nature and its organic transformation over time, the wine is intended for restaurants and venues where sommeliers and trained staff can explain the philosophy and production process to guests.
The first test series generated strong market interest. After the initial production of 700 bottles, production for 2026 and 2027 has already been fully reserved, while the network of restaurants where the wine will be available has expanded to international markets, including the United States and the United Kingdom.
The Piquentum Brut Nature project had previously achieved notable success at Dani komunikacija in Rovinj, where it won four gold awards at the BalCannes and IdejaX competitions. Among the recognitions were BalCannes Gold in the categories “Alcoholic Beverages” and “Best Low-Volume Packaging Design,” as well as IdejaX Gold in the categories “Best on Market – Alcoholic Beverages” and “Best in Channel.”
The awards won in New York further confirm how projects rooted in the real characteristics of a product and an authentic production philosophy can today achieve relevance within the world’s most important creative competitions.
