My first design of a wine label was created for the special event of Korunovačné Slávnosti (Coronation Festival) in Bratislava, which is the biggest historical event in the capital city of Slovakia. The aim was to create a souvenir and gift item which would reflect the magnificence of this cultural event. A bottle of wine seemed to be the best way to achieve this.
Grape growing and wine making have long been tradition in the region of Bratislava. The wine of the region is also associated with a story which took place at the time when Bratislava was the coronation city, and enjoyed its greatest glory.
Bratislava was the coronation city of Hungary for almost 300 years and 18 kings were crowned here. One person who fell in love with this city was Queen Maria Theresia. The story goes that in 1767 she and the whole royal family fell ill with chickenpox. Many members of the family had died and Maria Theresia received the Anointing of the Sick and she wasn't far from death. She tried various treatments with no success, only red wine (Frankovka modrá | Blaufränkisch) from Bratislava helped to cure her. From that moment she was very thankful to Bratislava's winemakers and Bratislava became one of her favourite cities.
On the label Bratislava and the coronation of Maria Theresia are illustrated. The aim was to keep a historical feel in each part of the design, and so old-looking paper, serif font Brioso Pro and burgundy colour were chosen. Gold embossing and ornaments add a noble air. Inside the bottle is a high quality archive red wine Blaufränkisch from the region of Rača.
