Wine is both art and science. Just like a pastry chef making a beautiful cake, the cake is baked from a precise formula (recipe) to achieve the desired foundation, but the finishing touches require artistic flair to make the finished product transcend. We want each bottle of wine we make to be a delicious work of art in the end, a perfect harmony of both science and art.
First, there’s the winemaking side. There’s a lot of science that goes into making wine, but that only takes us most of the way there to creating a truly unique wine. What takes us the rest of the way to putting a delightful wine in bottle is our artistic approach, the finesse we bring to our winemaking.
We bring art to our wines in multiple ways. First, we aren’t afraid to question traditional winemaking methods, we keep our minds open to trying new techniques and pushing the boundaries every step of the way. There are still endless possibilities, and here in the Sierra Foothills winemaking is still a frontier, why not keep testing? Second, we know the label makes a big difference.
We want the labels on our wines to be as creative as the wine in the bottle. So, we bring the most creative minds we can find to the table. We look for people who think outside the box, who are unencumbered by wine industry norms, and who really get us. Our label artists get that art is hiding and waiting everywhere to be discovered, and that inspiration and passion are the crucial ingredients. They work with us closely to understand our inspirations, and they bring their own significant artistic chops to the table to create visual representations of our wines.
To be honest, we’re underdogs in this game. The artists we work with also tend to be underdogs. They aren’t the best-known artists in the realm, but they meet us on our level, and we know they have all the skill and passion required to create truly inspired labels for our truly unique wines. Sometimes it takes us years to fully develop a concept and finalize label artwork for a wine. Other times it all comes together in days. That is the nature of art, wine art included.
We love the art of consumables, that our bottles of wine aren’t tchotchkes sitting around with a purely aesthetic purpose. However, we are also love the idea of the empty bottles having an upcycling potential. We’re sustainably minded in an industry where it is always an evolving challenge to deliver our product sustainably.
So, we recommend trying all manner of DIY wine bottle art and upcycling with your empty wine bottles! Here are some of the ways you can repurpose, and things you can make at home from empty wine bottles:Wine Bottle Candles – just cut the bottles, buy wicks and soy wax! Wine Bottle Lights – cut or drill the bottles as needed and insert lighting elements. You can even create entire chandeliers with used wine bottles! Wine Bottle Cups – cut the bottles, sand the rough edges to soften, or torch them as needed, and our bottles will live on as proper cups.Flower Vases, including etched glass art, Tabletop Tiki Torches, Bird Seed Feeders, Vessels for homemade tinctures and infusions such as infused vinegar. While you’re at it, you can also make your own vinegar! Succulent gardens, Walls of empty bottles in gardens and backyards.
