Fine Wine

Oenologic

Oenologic by NKD puzzle

Lodeve, in the south of France within the Occitania region, is distinguished for its lush green hills and vineyards. It has a Mediterranean climate and muddy clay soil, which produces a particular grape called Carignan with a Spanish origin. The entire region is well known for its viticulture, so it is not a surprise that the clever team at NKD puzzle, which is headquartered in Lodeve, eventually created a playfully enigmatic wine box.

wine not?

NKD puzzle has also produced a fantasy adventure miniseries called “Le Pion” (The Pawn) on YouTube to compliment the imaginative world of puzzle boxes they produce and add an immersive element to their brand. The wine box comes with a story developed from the world of the series.

booze box

“A very long time ago, when the Kingdom of gods wielded its power over the sphere, Korwyn the God of Wine, was growing and vinifying his beverage. He was the only one to hold its secret. While all the peoples took great delight in this wine. One day, a great wildfire ravaged his vinyard and cellar. Not a single vine or bottle was spared by the fire. Except for one single flask! Korwyn managed to save it. To prevent anyone from drinking it and to avoid losing the Original Process, he gave the flask to Neo, Chief of the Arcanns and Great Master of Puzzles. Only Neo could lock it up in an appropriately complex Puzzle Box. In doing so, Korwyn hoped to protect it until the coming to the sphere of the Chosen One. he knew that he would be able to solve the Puzzle and would recover the Original Process of his wine, to offer it to his people. Are you the Chosen One?”

cryptic corkage

Oenologic is indeed a very lovely presentation piece for a special bottle of wine or wine based spirit. The attention to detail is abundant and playful, and there is a lot to discover. The box pays homage to the classic wine boxes of the region which are used to hold precious cuvees, and is therefore more rustic in appearance. This also helps defray the typically high cost of NKD puzzles for a nice change. Exploring the box is fun and rewarding, with a few nice surprises and about five moves in all. The goal is not to keep you from your wine for too long! But the process is lovely and even a novice will eventually find all the moves. The final “reveal” is highly satisfying as well, with a bit of automation built in. It is certainly the best wine puzzle box I have ever seen. NKD have released a few limited edition boxes which come with a very nice bottle of wine from their home region, as a way to jump start the Kickstarter they are doing to produce a kit version, which will be their main intention for this box. Shipping the wine to the US from France could pose import problems, so I declined the wine and replaced it in my box with a wonderful wine-based aperitif from France called Lillet which is lovely in cocktails.

Boxanalia

Christophe Laronde shared more of the story: “About the Oenologic project, originally it was Julien [Vigouroux] who gave the initial impetus, he wanted to take inspiration from this famous classic bottle box that we see a lot in the region, as you know surely already, we are in a very wine-growing region, these boxes are generally made of wood, of very simple design, with a sliding lid on the side. Most of the time they are reserved for certain cuvées sold in shops or as gifts. Julien thought it would be a good theme for a puzzle box. The first prototypes were designed and assembled by Enora, an object design intern we had at NKD Puzzle for a few months, and Hugo our graphic designer. Then I took over to bring a more fruity decorative touch and settle the last details. For the decorative layer I was inspired by these old wall illustrations that are often found in villages with a cooperative cellar. You will find the face of Bacchus the god of wine in the sun on the left side of the box. On the label of the bottle on the right side we can see: wine from the Terre d'Arcann, and Château Korwyn, which are references to our series Le Pion on YouTube.” If you are looking for the perfect presentation box for a special bottle or gift to the wine lover in your life, there isn’t anything better than the Oenologic. Once the kit becomes a reality it should be quite popular, and in the meantime you can still pick up one of the limited editions.

Fair Play by Natasha David

Naturally the perfect toast for this wine presentation puzzle box would be a glass of wine! So anyone who wishes will easily be able to replicate that at home, just uncork and pour. But of course, I love cocktails too, and thought that a wine-based cocktail would be a nice expression for my friends in Lodeve. Many of the aperitifs, liqueurs and amaros you will find as components in the many cocktails I have featured over time are all wine based and started life as wine. Vermouth, sherry, and port, for example, are all made from wine which has been either infused with herbs and botanicals, or fortified with a stronger spirit such as brandy, or both.

How to play fair

Lillet is an aromatized aperitif from France which features Bordeaux region wines like Semillon for the classic blanc version, which is fortified with citrus liqueurs made from peels and bitter roots and then aged on oak casks. The original formulation from 1872, which included quinine from Chinchona bark, was known as a “tonic” wine for that reason. It was an essential ingredient in the famous “Vesper” martini invented by James Bond. Celebrated bartender Natasha David makes wonderful wine based cocktails and is a champion of drinks with a lower overall alcohol content. Of Lillet Blanc, she says in her book Drink Lightly, “A gorgeous fragrant wine that feels like you are lying on a bed of orange blossoms while being fed vanilla pudding.” Um, yes please? Her Lillet Blanc cocktail is a perfect summer diversion and couldn’t make for a better cocktail toast to the Oenologic box as it combines three separate French wines. You only need to open the box to enjoy one … a votre sante!

a vintage pair

Fair Play by Natasha David

1 ½ oz Lillet Blanc

½ oz Suze

½ oz dry vermouth

½ oz bourbon

1 heaping barspoon orange marmalade

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a rocks glass with a large cube. Orange wheel garnish.

explore more:

Back the Kickstarter and explore the NKD website