Corking ideas

Devine Wines provide personalised bottles of wine and accessories, with customers able to design their own labels, or have their message engraved directly onto the bottle.

Many of the wines are sourced from the Monmouthshire vineyard Monnow Valley, which supplies Devine Wines with the white wines Ty Hafod and Pinot Gris, as well as the Monnow Valley Special Reserve Brut.

And Christmas for Devine Wines founder and owner Stan Devonish starts now - with orders coming in from corporate clients like Newport and Gwent Chamber of Commerce and the Lloyds-TSB headquarters in Newport, as well as requests from across the UK and as far afield as Singapore.

Over the next few months, Stan and wife Roshan, will process orders for more than 3,500 bottles of quality wine and up to 600 bottles of champagne, each one individually labelled or engraved.

The intensely detailed process meant that Stan and his staff are often working late into the night.

Orders range from the traditional to the bizarre, with past customers requesting pictures of family portraits, caravans or even frogs on their Yuletide wine label.

New technology means a facility will soon be available on the Devine Wines website for businesses and individuals to design their own labels online. This new feature guarantees customers a completely personalised bottle of wine.

Stan is also looking to increase manpower at the family run business in the village of Gwaelod-y-Garth, on the outskirts of Cardiff, with the planned appointment of a sales and telemarketing operator and in-house graphic designer.

Devine Wines was set up in 2003, and from Christmas that year until Christmas 2004, turnover doubled. Stan is hoping to repeat that with new wines and presentation gifts added to the Devine Wines range this year.

Prices begin at £11.64 for the silver label service, and £31.62 for the flagship diamond label engraving service.