I recently completed two veneered wine boxes for large format bottles. One box is for a 3 liter, the second is a 1 1/2 liter. Both boxes have a poplar core. The planks were resawn, then reversed and glued to minimize movement. A bit of extra work but worth the stability it provides in the long run of temperature and humidity changes. The veneer is camphor wood applied so that the grain pattern is a continuation from the face pattern to the top/bottom and sides. There is paua blue abalone inlay contained by a white/black/white purfling and a edge banding of canarywood. Inside the boxes is loden pigskin. The bottle braces are covered with deerskin wrapped over very thin pieces of my wife's yoga mat (don't tell her) as a cushion. Brusso hinges and my favorite lock mechanism from Andrew Crawford (Smart boxmaker). Sealed with two coats of shellac, multiple coats of wipe on poly and then having difficulty getting rid of the 1200 grit sanding marks I brushed on a full coat of satin poly which did the trick.
Cheers,
Kent