by Metropol | May 27, 2026 8:33 am
Neil Pattinson loves a good bottle of wine. He also knows the bottle has a few flaws.
After years in wine, research and biotech, Neil, managing director of Whistling Buoy Winery, could see the category shifting. People still wanted quality, but they were drinking differently: smaller serves, easier occasions, and fewer moments where lugging glass around made sense.
Then Covid-19 changed the way people gathered, travelled and thought about what they were drinking. For Neil, it sparked the question that became Vino: why should great wine stay trapped in a bottle?
Created by Whistling Buoy, Vino puts premium New Zealand wine into lightweight 150ml pouches, made for picnics, beach days, ski trips, weekends away and every “should we take wine?” moment that usually ends with someone packing beer instead. “Drinking habits have changed, but the format hasn’t,” says Neil. “We wanted to create a premium wine that could move with people, without the weight, waste or broken-glass panic.”
Available in Pinot Gris, Rosé and Pinot Noir, each pouch is one generous glass. Chill it, pack it, pour it, sip it straight from the pouch if the view is good enough. Wine, unbottled. A little rebellious. And quite frankly, about time too.
Source URL: https://metropol.co.nz/when-wine-left-the-bottle-behind-vino-wines/
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