Honrado Talha Wine – Design Reinterpreting Two Millennia of Hist

Honrado Talha Wine – Design Reinterpreting Two Millennia of History

In Vila de Frades, known as the Capital of Talha Wine, the Honrado family began fifteen years ago a journey to preserve an ancient winemaking technique dating back to the Romans over two thousand years ago. This method uses large clay talhas to ferment wine, creating a unique character deeply connected to the Iberian Peninsula’s rich history.

In 2016, driven by increasing interest in this tradition, Ruben Honrado launched a project to bring the heritage into the present through design. Our team developed a packaging concept that captures the spirit of the talha while offering a contemporary, sophisticated identity.

The label design draws direct inspiration from the talha itself. Bottles are finished in earthy clay tones, evoking the natural vessel where the wine matures. The label features a die-cut silhouette that mirrors the distinctive shape of a talha, creating an immediate visual connection between the ancient container and the modern bottle. This design reinforces the wine’s artisanal authenticity and ensures strong shelf presence.

Two label variations express different aspects of the product. The first is minimalist and elegant, highlighting the purity and simplicity of handcrafted wine. The second is a limited edition of 1,000 numbered bottles featuring an intricate illustration of a Roman festivity, referencing the cultural origins of talha wine and its link to the nearby Roman Ruins of São Cucufate. This archaeological connection enriches the brand narrative and adds symbolic depth.

This project transcends simple packaging. It is the embodiment of collective memory, merging archaeology, history, and contemporary design. Every detail was crafted so consumers feel the connection to over two thousand years of tradition, reinterpreted with rigor, elegance, and modernity.