A label made from wine sediment and paper waste from a winery, which continues to change its appearance over time, has earned Croatia’s Studio Sonda the highest recognition at one of the world’s leading packaging design competitions. The project Label Created by the Wine Itself – Piquentum Brut Nature won the Diamond Award – Best of Show at the 20th anniversary edition of Pentawards, held in London. Among more than 2,000 entries from 66 countries, the packaging of an Istrian sparkling wine was named the best.
The award was presented on October 16 at the Pentawards Gala ceremony and represents the competition’s highest distinction, awarded to just one project. In addition to the Diamond Award, Sonda’s work also received a Gold Award in the Beverages – Wine (light) category and a Certificate in the Beverages – Fine wines and champagne category.
The competition featured projects for some of the world’s best-known brands, including Coca-Cola, Heinz, Milka, Toblerone, Doritos, Lay’s, Reese’s, Dove and Marc Jacobs. These are brands with substantial budgets for packaging development and design, making the success of a local wine brand all the more remarkable. It demonstrated that a solution can stand out in international competition not because of expensive materials or elaborate execution, but because of an idea inseparably connected to the product itself.
Behind the award-winning packaging is Piquentum Brut Nature, an organic sparkling wine produced by Vinski podrum Buzet. Rather than having the label simply describe the wine’s origin, character or production method, Sonda decided to incorporate the production process itself into the label’s creation.
The yeast sediment remaining after secondary fermentation was mixed with paper pulp made from the winery’s paper waste. This material is used to create a label that is neither entirely predictable nor permanently unchanged. It continues to react to environmental conditions, causing its appearance to evolve over time. As a result, each bottle develops its own version of the visual identity, created through the same natural process that shaped the wine.
The very imperfections that traditional packaging design often seeks to eliminate have become the product’s defining feature. Instead of perfectly uniform labels, each bottle carries a different trace of its production. This approach also challenges the conventional understanding of luxury packaging, where value is often associated with flawless finishes and a carefully controlled appearance.
“We are deeply honored to have won the Diamond Pentaward, the competition’s highest recognition. This is the greatest confirmation of our belief that the true value of today’s premium lies in authenticity and a deep respect for the natural process. This recognition shows that there is extraordinary beauty in imperfection,” said Jelena Fiškuš and Sean Poropat, creative directors and founders of Studio Sonda.
The project was developed in collaboration with Vinski podrum Buzet, headed by Dimitrije Brečević. The starting point was not the search for a new decorative solution for the bottle, but an understanding of the wine and the process through which it is made. Material that would otherwise have remained outside the finished product thus became one of its recognizable features.
The Pentawards, a competition that has brought together global brands, design studios and packaging experts since 2007, were judged by an international jury of more than 50 experts from over 20 countries. The Diamond Award represents the highest recognition among all entries submitted this year, regardless of category.
For Studio Sonda, this marks another achievement in an exceptionally successful year at international creative competitions. The same project has already won the Grand LIA and Gold at the London International Awards, a Gold Cube at the ADC Awards, a Merit Award at The One Show, gold at the European Design Awards and a Red Dot Award: Brands & Communication Design. It also won four gold awards at Dani komunikacija and was shortlisted at Cannes Lions.
The series of awards confirms just how far an idea rooted in what already exists within the winemaking process can go. For Piquentum Brut Nature, there was no need to create an additional story about authenticity because it was already present in the product itself. Sonda simply made it visible, transforming the remnants of fermentation into a label that, much like the wine, can never be completely replicated.
