The packaging for The Uncommon, a sparkling wine brand from England, comes with a beautiful yet playful illustration of a giraffe, hence reinforcing the “uncommon” quality of the product.
“The Uncommon. Wine of England is a new English Sparkling Wine brand that has just exclusively launched in Selfridges, London, UK. We are slightly different in that our wine comes in 250ml cans.
Founded by Henry Connell and Alex Thraves in South East London, the long-term friends quit their jobs in New York and London respectively with a dream of creating a modern, sustainable English wine brand. They worked alongside an illustrator who works under the moniker of Yes I do Concept to create a truly ‘uncommon’ brand.”
“The unusual theme continues with the packaging for the wine. The eco-friendly string bag made from organic cotton has a recycled cork label, hand stitched in Peckham, South East London and demonstrates a different take on the 'multipack’.
The Design - We wanted to create a brand that has a premium yet approachable feel and makes our wine more accessible to everyone, so it was important to encourage people to take an interest in our brand visually. The illustration needed to have an adventurous, curious and English feel. We want people to 'explore’ our wine and to be taken on an adventure. This is reflected by the perforated edges of the labels that represent a stamp. The back label moves away from the standard 'tasting notes’ that suggest your wine has to go with seafood or a steak, and we use 'Pairs perfectly with…’ followed by a number of colloquialisms to add some good old English humour.”
“Here’s a little bit about us:
The Uncommon’s English wine is produced in line with the highest EU quality rating, Protected Designation of Origin, the grade given to Champagne and Burgundy or Stilton over here in the UK. The inaugural release is a lightly sparkling dry white, with notes of pear and elderflower. The wine is made from 100% Bacchus grapes, which are hand harvested from vineyards at the forefront of new biodynamic techniques, reducing the need for pesticides and chemicals. The wine is produced in Surrey, a mere 20 miles from The Uncommon’s Peckham HQ.
Buoyed by the UK’s latest global sparkling wine accolades, founders Henry Connell and Alex Thraves escaped their 9 to 5s to create and grow a truly unique, contemporary wine brand that is unpretentious and fun, whilst raising the profile of English wine. Keeping the business within a 40-mile radius, Henry and Alex worked with a Surrey farmer to grow and pick the fruit; a winemaker to crush, press and ferment the grapes and a canner to break new ground for English wine. After 18 months graft, research and grape growing, they are very proud to be the first producers of canned wine in the UK.
The Uncommon are unique in their approach to convenience and wine wastage and aim to become the most sustainable wine brand in the country. The single-serve aluminium cans will help to reduce the billion litres of wine thrown away each year in the UK, fizz goes flat after just a day so it’s the perfect solution for bars, restaurants and cheeky toasts at home. The cans chill in just 15 minutes; they are endlessly recyclable and very lightweight meaning their carbon footprint is 80% lighter than glass.
When you consider that one billion bottles of wine are imbibed in the UK annually, Britain is the second largest consumer of Champagne (after France) and that we put away one third of all Prosecco produced, there is need for a light, convenient and easily recycled option. The average wine consumer is now younger and more adventurous, going to one or more of the seven thousand registered outdoor events held in the UK each year that prohibit glass, cans however are an ideal alternative.”
Creative Directors: Alex Thraves and Henry Connell
Brand: The Uncommon. Wine of England
Illustrator: Yes I Do Concept
Location: London, UK
