In the early 1980s, Tony Austin, one of Santa Barbara County’s pioneer winemakers, famously described his product as “consumable art.” To further illustrate the connection between the visual arts and his liquid creations, Austin became among the first area vintners to reproduce original paintings on his wine labels.
Central Coast wineries continue to celebrate the intimate relationship between wine and art. They acknowledge that winemaking often strays into the creative realm, yielding liquid works of art, while the appreciation of fine art parallels the enjoyment of fine wine.
Winemaker Bion Rice took this relationship to heart when he created his Artiste Tasting Studio in Los Olivos. Not only can visitors sip Rice’s innovative wares at the studio, they can also put brush to the community canvas or sketch in the art journals to create their own works of art.
Exhibiting a New World approach to winemaking, Artiste’s proprietary line of Modern Wines expresses the unique varietal character imparted by individual vineyards. Accentuating this individuality, each micro-lot wine is adorned with a label featuring contemporary art.
At the studio’s next Modern Artiste reception, slated for June 25, Santa Barbara artist Erika Carter presents her extraordinary work. Inspired during a trip to Mexico, she paints simple narratives in a manner similar to the folkloric Retablos and X-Votos—small devotional paintings on tin or wood—typical of that region.
The wines bearing her work on the labels were released in May, and include a 2008 Pinot Grigio decorated with an image called Dog Rose Tree, showing a pooch with fat roses and a small bird sprouting from its head. Another, the 2008 Tempranillo, is adorned with Rosita, a painting that presents a giant flower hovering above a dark-haired woman.
A showcase for local artists, Morovino Winery brings fine art and equally fine wines to Avila Beach. Owners David and Andrea Bradford mount ever-changing displays of California artists working in a variety of media, including watercolor, acrylic, jewelry, and enamel.
“We think art and wine go together really well,” Andrea Bradford said, “[and] we want to support local artists. Our current economy creates some real challenges for artists, and we want to help by providing an attractive, relaxed setting for visitors and locals alike to view art and enjoy some great local wine.
“This is a win-win situation for both the artists and the tasting room,” she continued. “We get some amazing art to help enhance our space and draw new customers into the tasting room, and the artists get an opportunity to showcase their work.”
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Currently on display is the artwork of Lisa Woodward, who creates pieces from stainless steel and found objects. The Bradfords have included several oil paintings by local artist Myrna Williams as a teaser for her upcoming exhibition.
“We typically rotate new artists into the tasting room every six to eight weeks,” Bradford said, “and our Meet the Artist receptions are some of the best-attended and most successful events we do.”
On July 16, the Bradfords invite wine and art lovers to the tasting room for their Meet the Artist event, featuring new works by Myrna Williams. In addition to the exhibition, visitors will enjoy complimentary wine tasting and a sampling of cheeses from the Cal Poly Creamery.
“Myrna studied art and photography in San Jose,” Bradford explained, “and she will definitely be on hand on July 16.
“I was drawn to her subject matter—local seascapes—and her vivid use of color and texture,” she continued. “We have had a few pieces of her art in the tasting room before, and they have proven to be very popular.”
Putting his musical passion on the labels of selected blends, Rick Longoria, owner/winemaker of Longoria Wines, created a series of wines he calls Blues Cuvée, blends made primarily from Cabernet Franc. In 1993, he commissioned his first label, a work that conveys the powerful emotion of the true blues musician, and today boasts a gallery of eight evocative paintings.
Longoria selects a new artist every two years and savors the collaborative nature of liquid and visual art. He hangs the original paintings in his garden tasting room in Los Olivos and offers for sale quality lithographs of each work.
The late Ardison Phillips, winemaker/co-owner of McKeon-Phillips Winery, created original art for his wines for decades. In 1976, as an accomplished artist and proprietor of a popular Hollywood Hills restaurant, Phillips began painting art labels for his house wines.
Today, his diverse labels comprise a gallery of work that ranges from flowers and fantastic figures to splashy abstracts and color-filled forms. His work is so highly regarded that 10 of his 40 labels were displayed at the Long Beach Art Museum, a graphic acknowledgement of the intimate connection between the liquid and visual arts.
K. Reka Badger doesn’t mind drinking her art. Send her some at rekabadger@hotmail.com.
This article appears in Jun 23-30, 2011.