Have you ever walked into a wine shop, felt overwhelmed by price tags, vintages, and terms like “Vendange Tardive,” and panic-bought a bottle for its pretty label?
Cartesian Cards founder Rob Hallifax has been there. That’s what inspired him to design “Wine Cards,” a new product that doubles as a deck of playing cards and a pocket-encyclopedia for wine. Each standard-sized card features useful facts about different grape varieties, with suggestions for food pairings and notes on body, acidity, and tannins.
“Wine Cards,” which launched on Kickstarter last week and has already reached 600% funding, follows Cartesian Cards’ previous project: Cocktail Cards. “Those started as a lockdown project to help people enjoy cocktails at home when you couldn’t go to bars,” Hallifax says of the cards, which featured cocktail recipes.
Both products reinvent simple playing cards to become useful, aesthetically pleasing objects. “I love the idea of using the centre of cards for something useful,” he says. “It’s kind of a magical space that normally isn’t used.”
“Wine Cards” fills that space with easy-to-understand wine knowledge. With so many labeling terms, options, and staggering prices, the wine world quickly becomes inaccessible. Halifax’s project breaks down those barriers, making it simple for consumers to discover new wines at reasonable price points.
Back “Wine Cards” on Kickstarter now through Thursday, December 1st.
