Blog Archives
California Melon from Lieu Dit: Muscadet Fans Take Note
If you love Muscadet as much as I do, here’s a wine to hoard. Or purchase and share, whatevs. It’s California Melon. The former being the state (duh) and the later being the name of the grape. Muscadet from the Loire Valley is a wine made from the Melon (de Bourgogne) grape. Outside of this [More]
Label Lust: Donnafugata Anthìlia
There is a real synergy between the label for the Donnafugata Anthìlia, a white wine from Sicily (sent to me as a sample), and what’s inside the bottle. Lush golden hair and a certain type of satisfaction in repose serve as an apt harbinger. Neither the artwork, nor the Anthìlia, are frilly or gilded. It’s a [More]
Label Lust: Jané Ventura Rosé Cava
My never-ending thirst for all things sparkling rosé led me back to an old friend with a look that stirs up feelings: Jané Ventura Reserva de la Música Rosé 2011. It’s a Cava (the term used for Spanish sparkling wine) made from Garnatxa Negra. You might have heard of this grape by a more familiar name: [More]
5 Graphic Designers Critique a Wine Label: Castaño Monastrell
I have looked at so many wine labels in my decade-plus career in wine as someone selling it, tasting it, buying it, and writing about it. The good, the bad, and the ugly have all come across my path. One wine and label I’ve been fond of belongs to the Castaño Monastrell. This bargain Spanish [More]
What’s It Like To Design A Wine Label?
I interviewed Elaine Chukan Brown of Hawk Wakawaka Wine Reviews for a series on Grape Collective called SpeakEasy. Topics discussed ranged from philosophy and refrigerator contents to comic drawing and Champagne dreaming. Elaine actually had the chance to turn her drawings into a label for an Australian winery, Between Five Bells. Here are her thoughts [More]
Label Lust: Sokol Blosser Evolution Sparkling
The playful side of Oregon’s historic Sokol Blosser winery comes out in this Evolution Sparkling label. A new release in its popular lineup of red and white, this sparkling wine especially gives me Label Lust when you peruse not the front of the bottle but rather the rear. It pleases me to view a back [More]
Label Lust: Chehalem Pinot Noir
I have to say this is the first time I’ve been contacted by a winery not only because they wanted me to try a new release, but also because they wanted me to check out their new label. So I was intrigued to have a sample bottle of 2010 Chehalem Pinot Noir, from the Stoller [More]
