Tablecloth turns spilt wine into art

Knocking a glass of red wine over your host's pristine white tablecloth is usually considered a major embarrassment. But no longer with a new tablecloth that promises to transform any spill into pretty pattern.

At first glance, this tablecloth, designed by Amandine Alessandra and called In Vino Veritas, appears to be a plain white tablecloth. However once stained with red wine, different patterns appear, revealing an intricate damask design, for instance, or a modern star pattern.

The tablecloth is akin to the drawings children do with white wax candles on white paper – only after ink has been poured over the paper does the work appear.


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The tablecloth, which the department store Selfridges is selling for £69, does have one downside, however. To guarantee it returns to a pristine white condition, the manufacturer recommends that people put it on a cold wash with 1kg of salt, a substantial volume of salt.

The department store said that it was confident the cloth was more than just a gimmick and would sell well because other formal dining accessories had taken off, with a sales increase of 20 per cent for items such as napkin rings, table cloths and place name holders.

Louise Sellwood, the cookshop & dining buying manager at Selfridges, said: “The days of the ultimate dinner party faux pas are over. The new In Vino Veritas tablecloth means that spilling a glass of red wine can be an artistic event rather than the cause of red faces.”