Love and Marriage and Wine Labels…

Love and marriage. A classically predictable combination.

But love and marriage and wine labels? Perhaps not so in most cases, but I shall highlight how one day, not so many moons ago, these three became inextricably linked.

I have never considered myself an artist by any means. I did grow up though with a creatively charged mother fostering my finger painting/plaster fun house/pottery talents, as well as falling for that appendage on Mr Squiggle and making sure the ABC’s other godsend Art Attack was a permanent fixture in my weekly television intake. The teenage years saw my high school offer us students every art medium possible. I gave life drawing a go. I read and began grasping the technique of Naoko Takeuchi’s manga, before dappling with waterpaints as shown by my mother for how best to capture a memory when travelling overseas. Despite the various creative outlets I was given the opportunity to trial, there was one style that stayed strong and true wherever I would go. Close friends and family, in particular colleagues from past places of work, have at one stage or another been the victim of random cartoon sketches by yours truly during my employment. The most memorable was during my five month stint at Henschke winery in the Eden Valley. At the end of the working day I would occasionally loiter in the winemaker’s office/laboratory, whiteboard marker in hand, waiting for my unsuspecting victims to leave, before then leaping onto their desk and beginning an elaborate caricature of one of the employees. I think I chose my first suspect well. It just so happened to be the unassuming Stephen Henschke who walked into the office bright and early the next day to analyse the work board, only to be confronted by a strange cartoon likeness of himself on the adjacent side. Suffice to say that I think he was impressed, considering that I got asked to continue working post-vintage to assist in the cellar long after that sketch had first appeared.

Phew.

With the success of that first sketch, I made sure that none of the other cellar staff were left unscathed. In accordance with my doodling efforts, my gift of thanks at the end of my term to the assistant winemaker Josh, winemaker Paul and owners Prue and Stephen, turned out to be replicas of classic vintage alcohol-related works that I completed with waterpaints.

* Authors note: You are not hallucinating. I used the prehistoric camera within my computer to take a photo, which created mirror images. You get the gist, at least. *

It turned out to be a lovely surprise when upon my return to Melbourne, then soon-to-be-married winemaker Paul Hampton rang me to question if I would be interested in designing the label for the barrel’s worth he was making for his wedding day in dedication to his future wife. It was to be titled, ‘Bride’s Brew’.

Not one to say no to such a small but significant opportunity, I accepted the challenge, received the brief and began my drafts. Initial workings may have jokingly shown the bride with Frankenstein-like screws in her neck (as requested in the brief!), however after several consultations with the more relaxed groom and at one crucial stage, the bride, the neck attachments were removed and we focused our attention to brainstorming colour schemes before finally, the last draft was sent for approval before it went to the printers!

It was only one year and a bit later, that I finally saw a hard copy of my handiwork in the form of two bottles of the Bride’s Brew 2010 arriving at my doorstep only a couple of weeks ago.

This, ladies and gentlemen, is the result.

Bride's Brew 2010 Front Label - Design by La Donna del Vino

 And my favourite for wit…the back label.

Bride's Brew 2010 Back Label - Written by Paul Hampton

Turned out to be a ‘bombanieri‘ hit at the wedding!

After all that, it turns out that they can work together, all that love, marriage and wine labels stuff.

And to be truthful, I did not only do this for them out of the goodness of my heart.

Yes. Payment was in wine 🙂

Tags: Love, Marriage, Random, Wine