In 1998, Joseph Perrulli was a wine sales rep, traveling around the country and tasting a lot of wine with a lot of potential buyers. The wines he was pouring were top of the line, but the cups he was pouring into were not – they were “lousy plastic gargling cups,” as he’s called them. Wine glasses are specifically designed to enhance the aroma and flavor of wine, and these little disposables weren’t doing his wines (or the wines’ drinkers) any favors. So Perrulli set out to find a solution, and founded GoVino.
Because he was traveling so much, Perrulli needed glasses that were reusable and recyclable; flexible, durable and shatterproof; that wouldn’t have any coatings that would interfere with the aroma or flavor of the wine and were elegant. He found his material in 100% BPA- and BPS-free polymer, and designed each stemless glass with a handy indent in the side for a drinker’s thumb, so they’re easy to grip. His wine customers loved them so much that word began to spread; soon chefs and winemakers were using his glasses, and Perrulli expanded his line to include flutes and beer glasses. The design community took notice, too; GoVino has won two International Design Excellence Awards and the Good Design award by The Chicago Athenaeum Museum of Architecture and Design.