Price: $9
Maker: Voga I.C.R.F, Calmasino, Italy
Varietal: Pinot Grigio
Packaging: 750 ml bottle, artificial cork
Alcohol: 12%
Our Rating: 8.5 out of 10
The packaging of Voga Pinot Grigio 2004 caught our attention. Unlike virtually every other wine bottle on the shelf, Voga’s 2004 bottle is a perfect cylinder, with a large vertical logo imprinted on the bottle. Even the closure, which is a bottle neck that accepts a standard cork, is camouflaged by a black plastic cover that matches the diameter of the bottle to extend the cylindrical appearance. The black top on the clear, golden bottle makes a dramatic statement. In this Voga bottle, Italy once again shows why it is a leading source of product design expertise.
The Pinot Grigio itself is a pleasant enough wine. Its aroma has strong apple and melon notes, augmented by mint and citrus. The flavor is a mild mix of lemon and cantaloupe. The finish is brief and refreshing.
As one might expect, the unique Voga bottle has attracted some attention, not to mention the wine itself. WineWaves scored it at 87.5, and said “The mouthfeel is light and quite tart. Lemony, minerally (almost salty) flavors lead to a crisp palate cleansing finish.” The same blog also found the 2005 vintage, and found the packaging improved and the wine still likable.
The Voga website features attractive (but not overdressed) models and an amusing history of the wine bottle (culminating, of course, with Voga’s present design.)
Actually it looks like Voga stole its bottle design from the Norwegian-based Voss Water (http://www.vosswater.com/). It’s been around for years and is known for its great bottle.
I’ll keep an eye out for this PG though. The bottle is certainly unique for the wine world.
Wow, that IS very similar. Even the oversized 90-degree rotated lettering is close, not to mention the similarity between “Voss” and “Voga”. Interesting…
Where can I buy VOGA wine in Orlando FL.
BEST PINOT IVE EVER HAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I originally bought it because of the bottle. Not liking a ‘screw top’ wine bottle, it was a special deal so bought it. The wine is great and the bottle itself is fantastic! How surprised was I that I didn’t need a bottle cork, could just screw the top back on! That is an A+ in my book. More companies should think outside the ‘bottle’.