Dion Lee designs wine bottles for Bird in Hand

At an intimate launch at the Olsen Irwin Gallery in Sydney’s Paddington in early November, Australian luxury fashion designer Dion Lee launched his new bottle designs for Bird in Hand winery’s Italian Varietals range. Television personality and author Silvia Colloca also collaborated on the suite of wines, which were produced in the Adelaide Hills and include a nero d’avola, Montepulciano, pinot grigio and arneis.

Australian fashion designer Dion Lee.

Lee jumped at the chance to work with the Bird in Hand team on the direction of the bottle designs, which make use of negative space and striking horizontal stripes on clear glass – burgundy for the red varieties and a cool, clean white for the whites. “I wanted to keep the glass simple and clear,” says Lee, in order for the true colour of the wine to shine through. “So often you see green glass used for red wines, so you never know what the wine looks like until you pour it. With Bird in Hand I wanted to make sure it came to the fore.”

The linear nature of the design is a reflection of Lee’s minimalist aesthetic, which incorporates lazer cutting, plaits, intricate weaving and an eye for movement. Bottom’s up.