Is there a better way to celebrate the launch of Daniel Ricciardo’s latest DR3 fine wine collab with St Hugo, than with a handcrafted glass Decanter inspired by his famous trademark podium celebration. Probably not.
The limited edition “Ricciardo Decanter” is modelled precisely on one of Ricciardo’s actual racing boots, and was unveiled to the press on Monday in the lead up to this year’s Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
With just 1,100 made, the limited edition Decanters will be sold for $700 a piece alongside the new 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2020 Shiraz wines from Ricciardo’s and St Hugo’s critically acclaimed DR3 brand on the official website.
The decanter was made by industrial designer Andrew Simpson and his team at Vert. Digital sculpting techniques were used to ensure every facet of Ricciardo’s racing boot was rendered in meticulous detail, followed by multiple rounds of prototypes to translate and refine the shoe profile from on-screen to in-hand.
The decanters, which hold one bottle of DR3 wine, are designed to deliver an exceptional experience by ensuring the optimal release of the wine’s flavours and aromas.
In fact, the decanter was painstakingly hand-blown and moulded by Australia’s leading glass artists Canberra Glassworks, with each item requiring five artists to work simultaneously to create the unique form.
Taking inspiration from sneaker drops, the launch of the decanter and two new DR3 fine wines were teased through Ricciardo’s social channels alongside a comprehensive PR outreach program.
“I’m so proud and overwhelmed by the reaction we had for the launch of DR3 x St Hugo. When St Hugo approached me with the idea of creating a piece to showcase our wines at their best, I was excited to see the creative inspiration, and so the Ricciardo Decanter was born,” said Ricciardo.
Pernod Ricard’s head of fine wine, Celest Kenny, said the follow-up year for DR3 was all about getting its namesake star more involved in the process.
“[Ricciardo] and Peter [chief winemaker] conducted extensive blending sessions online and of course the Decanter is as Daniel as you can get! Fans have been asking for this since day 1, so it’s incredible to finally see it become a reality,” said Kenny.
Emotive’s creative director, Ben Clare, added “Sequels are a tough act. Last year’s DR3 release was a massive success, so we needed to step it up a gear this time around. Judging by the public’s response, I’d say Christmas has come 8 months early for a lot of people. It’s been a great collaboration with St Hugo and the teams at Vert and Canberra Glassworks.”
DR3 represents a partnership between Daniel Ricciardo and St Hugo. DR3 is a passion project for Ricciardo, so close collaboration was required on every element of the brand from the ground up.
Pernod Ricard and Emotive have worked together since 2020 on DR3, with the launch being one of the most successful in St Hugo’s history.
Credits
Pernod Riccard/St Hugo Marketing Team
Eric Thomson: Global Marketing Director
Head of Fine Wine: Celest Kenny
Senior Brand Manager: Karlee Fancourt
Assistant Brand Manager: Maddie Gold
Creative: Emotive
CEO & Founder: Simon Joyce
Head of Strategy and Managing Partner: Michael Hogg
Group Creative Director: Ben Clare
Business Director: Monika Vidovic
Strategy Director: Anna-Claire Clendon
Copywriter: Avi Azouz
Senior Producer: Madeline Levins
Production Company: Annatic
Producer: Matt Page
Director’s: Matt Page & James Copson
Director of Photography: James Stier
