An example of an aluminum bottle created to duplicate the cultural aspect of wine as an experience to be “savored and shared,” while having an outdoor ethos and an eco-friendly stance is Revelshine. Introduced in August 2020, Revelshine is a brand of Sonoma County, Calif.-based Limerick Lane Cellars that comprises a collection of three wines, Rosé, Red, and White, “designed to be taken off the beaten path.”
According to Limerick Lane Cellars founder, owner, and “Trailblazer” Jake Bilbro, Revelshine was designed for active, adult consumers who live for rugged luxury. He shares that bottling world-class wines in unbreakable bottles had been a strategic part of the winery’s business plan for some time and a personal mission of his own for years. After Limerick Lane finished a rebranding project for its namesake brand in mid-2020, it turned its attention to creating Revelshine.
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Limerick Lane’s requirements for the bottle were that it be aluminum, fully recyclable, and lightweight, and have the proper shape of a bottle. “It was never our intention to bring canned wine into the market, and I do not honestly look at Revelshine as ‘canned wine,’” says Bilbro. “Our goal was and is to ensure that consumers could get world-class wine in a manner that transports easily, is rugged enough for treks, seals completely, and is socially and environmentally responsible.”
The most prominent element of the artwork is a graphic that seamlessly flows around the bottle like a landscape.
Bilbro, who enjoys blazing literal trails as well, says inspiration for Revelshine’s branding came from the places he loves to be: rivers, oceans, and mountains. Once Limerick Lanes’ internal team came up with a concept, it worked with branding agency Motto, which Bilbro says took the concept and truly engaged in creating a brand platform that visually embraced the concept.
“Our belief in sustainability, ethical winemaking, and protecting our planet were used as a springboard for our brand’s look and feel and package design,” Bilbro shares. To ensure the aluminum material was “respected and visual,” a decision was made not to hide it under floods of color and heavy graphics. “Our brand inspires not through brashness, trendiness, or shock, but through honesty, humility, and simplicity,” he adds. “This way, the beauty of this infinitely recyclable material shows through.”
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The most prominent element of the artwork is a graphic that seamlessly flows around the bottle like a landscape. Taking inspiration from nature, a large golden sun illustration takes center stage on the front of the bottle and is surrounded by abstract shapes that mimic mountains, hills, and water “to bring a moment of pause and reflection,” Bilbro explains. “The artwork, while suggestive and subtle, creates positive feelings of awe, wonder, and gratitude.”
On the back of the bottle are a series of custom-designed icons added to remind consumers they can enjoy the wine where glass bottles are prohibited, as well as a list of the bottle’s sustainability credentials,
When it comes to the brand logotype, less is more: It is intentionally simple and down to earth, styled in black, all-uppercase letters with a very readable sans-serif font.
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On the back of the bottle are a series of custom-designed icons—a surfboard, a campfire, a guitar, oars, and a backpack—added to remind consumers they can enjoy the wine where glass bottles are prohibited. The back also lists the bottle’s sustainability credentials, including that it is lightweight and infinitely recyclable, an important addition, says Bilbro, as sustainability is something he is personally proud to be championing and something he hopes Revelshine’s consumers value as well.
Further supporting protection of the outdoors, Revelshine has partnered with 1% for the Planet to give back and is working toward creating additional sustainable and socially responsible products in the future.
The Revelshine wine collection is available on the brand’s website, revelshinewines.com, and—at $20 for Red, $18 for White, and $16 for Rosé—has been priced to reflect the quality in the bottle. “We charge the same amount by milliliter that we would for the same wine in a glass bottle,” he notes. “The price point is well in line with the wine’s exceptional quality, which has recently received Editor’s Choice in Wine Enthusiast Magazine, with 91-point ratings.”
