The Power of Creativity and the Joy of Taste. Wine and Design in Slovenia.

For the exhibition of contemporary Slovenian design ‘Silent Revolutions in London', the Government Communication Office in collaboration with the Museum of Architecture and Design prepared a presentation of selected wines from indigenous Slovenian vines and old vines originating from the Vipava Valley and the Karst presented in bottles designed by Oskar Kogoj, which will take place tomorrow, Saturday 24 September 2011, 6 pm, at Tent London, Dray Walk Gallery, Old Truman Brewery, Brick Lane, E16QL, London.
All those who are friends of Slovenia and devotees of high-quality wine and Slovenian design are cordially invited to attend.
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The bottles bear an engraved message in the form of a sign, symbol or inscription. The Black Panther bottle by Batič wines incorporates the mythological creature from the oldest Slovenian coat of arms in Carantania, which was the first county formed by Slovenes. The bottle called ‘Osti jarej' includes an engraved inscription in the old form of the Slovene phrase ‘OSTI JAREJ', which is the first recorded greeting and toast in Slovene, whose shortened version ‘Oj!' is still used by young Slovenes.
Over the centuries, the different wine-producing countries have developed their own typical bottle designs and colours. In Slovenia, these emerged only recently, although the culture of this area has been strongly connected to the cultivation of vines and grapes, and the production of excellent wines with exquisite aromas and wonderful scents since Roman times. It took some time before it was recognised that the quality of these wines should be acknowledged with beautiful bottles designed to be more than mere containers.
Cooperation between Slovenian winemakers and designers evolved into a symbiosis between people who understood the symbolic narrative offered by the invaluable mixture of heritage and creativity, which resulted in new designs for Slovenian bottles based on the quest for aesthetic perfection and deep respect for the qualities of a wine.
A wine bottle has become a medium whose design and colour tell the story of the wine, the winemaker and region of origin, about Slovenia, which is celebrating the 20th anniversary of its independence this year.