Wine. Artist style.
A fusion of two great things, wine and art. Street artist, urban art warfare specialist, and fellow Obama supporter Shepard Fairey has created an awesome wine label for Kenwood Vineyards in California.
When I’m at my local QFC, picking up the city’s finest in boxed wine, I do always enjoy looking at the labels, and I’ve got to say this new design would most definitely strike my eye. How about you?
Shepard Fairey Wine Label and cap - Kenwood Vineyards
Kenwood Vineyards was founded in 1970 when wine enthusiasts from the San Francisco Bay Area refurbished and modernized the former Pagani Brothers Winery, originally established in 1906. Ideally located in the heart of Sonoma Valley, Kenwood Vineyards, named after the town of Kenwood, is committed to producing premium wines that reflect Sonoma County’s finest vineyards and define the region’s grape varieties in their true character and style.
Baron Philippe de Rothschild also produces artistic wine. Amazing artists such as Georges Braque, Salvador Dali, Marc Chagall, Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Georg Baselitz have created labels for the wine. Baron Philippe de Rothschild wine maker website here or to see a website displaying all of the artists wine labels click here.
Category: Graphic Design
About the Author
A graphic and web designer, and the founder of an eccentric northwest design studio. Now living in Seattle for the past three years, loving the art, music, and culture it has to offer. Fan of coffee, travel, and the occasional slow jam. Believes people should listen to more Bob Marley, and watch less TV.View Author Profile
As someone who has a part-time job in the wine business so he can keep his full-time gig of being an artist, let’s be clear: The labels Warhol, Braque, et al, did foor <i>Mouton Rothschild</i> are far removed from labels done for Kenwood Vineyards. Not to mention that the wine clothed in art from major influences of our time, the Mouton, is a work of art in itself, and you should substantially differentiate Kenwood from it, as it is just a lowly California bottle of swill.
Not to mention, isn’t anyone else completely bored with Shepard Fairey? I think Andre the Giant is kicking around some retirement home right now. Even Warhol is yawning in his grave.
So what got you bored with Shepard Fairey, the amazing work he did for the obama campaign?
Differentiated between kenwood and Mouton more in article, thanks.
Fairey’s singular Obama work is certainly going to be an image of history.
But his bread and butter work, the now-old “OBEY” that is plastered around major cities should begin to read “OVER” as it has just become tired. His label work for Kenwood is quite illustrative, apropos for for the wine it contains, something the company wants to push on a mass consumption scale for those with excited wallets… but it certainly isn’t anything more than a high-design wine label versus, for instance, John Huston’s work for the 1982 release of Mouton… a label that truly captures the essence (and spirit of drinking) what it contains in the vessel.
Fairey’s woman, with Obey pendant, displays a ponderance of “Do I want this product as much as I want this brand name around my neck? Burgers for dinner tonight, or tuna melt?”
Fairey has his place in art culture history. Mouton-Rothschild, though, he is not.
I am also an artist working in the wine industry, and after a bit of digging, am surprised by Mr. Rusak’s comments. Firstly, let’s compare the previous vintage of Kenwood’s Artist Series 2003 (featuring Van Gogh – whose bread and butter work, the now old “blue period” should be called the “blew period”) with the 2003 vintage of Mouton-Rothschild. Kenwood received a rating of 91 – quite impressive for swill, while Mouton-Rothschild received a 95. Yes, Mouton beat out Kenwood, but at a price roughly $200 more than Kenwood’s the four point difference is more than understandable. Secondly, I was a little thrown aback by Chris’ seemingly animus tone towards Fairey’s work. I find it odd that Chris, a screenprinter himself, doesn’t take notes from the the politically charged Fairey, especially after viewing Rusak’s classroom copies of Mondrian and Rothko.
where’s my beer?
I don’t think being a carpenter requires one to follow Norm Abrams’ style of construction, or that owning a screenprinting setup requires one to follow a street artist’s oeuvre.
Am I supposed to be taking notes from Fairey? Because he’s politically charged? Do I have to make political art because I’m a screenprinter? I must have lost the instruction manual that came with my ready-to-assemble silkscreen kit.
And, if you work in the wine industry, you know that numbered rating systems, particularly Parker, are a bore to anyone other than consumers and wine buyers. Taste is personal, but comparing a first-growth to a California cab such as Kenwood, is a stretch.
Finally, Van Gogh did not compose his artist label for Kenwood. I’m sure his estate authorized the usage of an image. Quite different than Mouton’s history of commissioning living artists.
A very lively dialog I am entering into here. I will steer clear of any wine references as I am admittedly just a consumer with far less knowledge of the wine industry and specifically wine labels, than anyone else who has thrown in their two cents. Nevertheless, here’s mine.
As a consumer, I am attracted to displays in stores that catch my attention and when something is packaged well, I actually give it a second look. It’s called marketing, and it’s been around for a very long time. With as many choices as we consumers are faced with today, any product that is nicely packaged with a nice veneer or a good label may lead us to take that leap of faith and buy it.
Some of the best wines I have ever drunk had some of the most beautiful and artsy or creative labels attached to them. And some of the worst wines I’ve drunk have been decked in beautiful labels as well. Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. And there you have it, if I don’t like it, I won’t ever buy your beautifully labeled wine again. But I can still admire or like the art, can’t I?
I love art and I love wine, but I am definitely not a fan of Kenwood wines. But I am sure going to buy this Kenwood wine with the label created for them by Shepard Fairey. My art tastes are diverse, but I like this label and I like that it was done by the guy who made the Obama poster. I guess that makes me the exact target market that Kenwood was hoping would buy this Cabernet. In fact, they were counting on it.
If it sucks, I just won’t buy another. In fact, it would probably make a nice conversation piece at a dinner party.
So the only thing I would say to you Chris is to simply appreciate that our society is built around marketing the products or goods or services or even our selves that we are out there selling. And I just checked out your site and it is branded and packaged a certain way and it actually is quite good. You obviously put time and thought into the way you wanted to present your work and your thoughts and ideas. We all do this. Shepard Fairey may eventually become yesterday’s news. But right now, he is of the moment, and Kenwood is using this to their advantage.
So kudos to you Brad for bringing this to our attention. And by the way, the Obama art in your last article was awesome. We really enjoyed it.
I’ve noticed alot more artististic labels on wine bottles in the last few years