| arts & culture |
The Total Package 6 B OT T L E L A B E L S W E LOV E by NELLY KISLYANKA
When it comes to beer and wine, what’s on the inside really counts, but there’s no denying eye-catching labels are what initially lure you in. A few local visionaries create packaging that’s not only informational but artistic, too—think bold lettering, distinct designs, and prett y pictures with soulful stories. Keep reading for a look behind six labels we love.
James Pinot Meunier, for example, was made with organic fruit sourced in Sonoma County by Eric’s brother James. For their Zinfandel, Emily and Eric chose to feature their nephew, Zander, because they enjoyed the alliteration of Zander Zinfandel. Eric’s favorite portrait, however, is his grandmother gracing the Dolores Pinot Noir. “I think it really captures not only her image but also her personality,” he says. Once Eric has decided what family member to paint for a bottle, he starts his artistic process by browsing old photo albums and digital artwork to create a vision. Next comes Eric’s greatest hurdle—starting to paint. But once he does, it becomes a form of meditation to him. “It helps me release my creative energy,” he says. Eric exclusively paints his label portraits using oils on wine barrel caps, except for some of the original labels that came from older paintings using mixed media. Once the painting is complete, it’s photographed and handed off to Emily, who designs a coordinating back-of-bottle label complying with TTB (Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau) guidelines and sends it off to their label printer. Chateau Davell’s family and friends gather quarterly to hand-bottle every wine—lovingly filling, corking, and waxing each one. Their final step is adhering the portraits to them. According to Eric, “Emily likes to complain about how tedious these days are, but she secretly loves spending a day laughing and catching up with our loved ones.”
3020 Vista Tierra Drive, Camino, 530-644-2016, chateaudavell.com
Chateau Davell The labels of Chateau Davell’s wines are a physical representation of their guiding principle: family. In fact, owners Emily and Eric Hays chose to name their inaugural wine after their firstborn child Charlotte. When she was born, Eric painted her newborn portrait on a wine barrel cap. When it came time to create a label for Charlotte’s Cuvée, they chose to feature her portrait as a loving tribute. Since then, every label has been adorned with one of Eric’s paintings. “There’s usually a correlation between a wine and the family member on the label,” says Eric. The
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| AUGUST 2021 |
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A vineyard owned by a family of artists is bound to forgo bland labels and produce exquisite works of art for their wines. Pamela, the matriarch of the Findleton family, is the artist responsible for the stunning labels that adorn her namesake winery’s bottles. Working with watercolors, she creates a custom piece for every bottle. “Each painting tells a story and has a relationship with the varietal we pair it with,” Pamela says. Her personal favorite, 20 years and 36 varietals later, still remains the Carignon label—“a spiritual collaboration” with her late grandmother who was also an artist. While cleaning out her artist studio, Pamela found an old painting created by her grandmother, only to have it crumble in her hands when she picked it up. “Saddened at the loss, I immediately glued it to a canvas and started painting using water media.” This piece, still featuring her grandmother’s signature beside her own, now adorns the Findleton Carignon. After a painting is selected for a particular wine, a high-quality image of it is sent to Pamela’s daughter Jeanetta, who has a background in fashion and graphic design. Jeanetta places it on the signature dark green Findleton label and
Photo of Eric Hays by Dante Fontana. Bottle photo courtesy of Chateau Davell.
Findleton Estate Winery
