What connects wine and art and where the two cultural assets meet in everyday life is a question that I ask myself rarely to be quite frank with you.
In my humble opinion the path to a touching wine is always a kaleidoscopic cuvée of artisanal chess moves and artistic decisions, that reflect personal taste, vintage-related conditions and logistical parameters as well as an agricultural attitude.
The result is filled into a bottle, opened in the perfect moment and the rest is history, which touches the soul that deep that it stays there forever alongside the hazy memory of the first kiss. Therefore, wine is always a little bit of art. At least when it touches people. Connects them with each other. When it tells a story shaped by style and origin. Of soil and climatic conditions. The characteristics of the vintage. The conditions in the cellar. And above all: the preferences of the person who makes the wine.
The result is filled into a bottle, opened in the perfect moment and the rest is history, which touches the soul that deep that it stays there forever alongside the hazy memory of the first kiss. Therefore, wine is always a little bit of art. At least when it touches people. Connects them with each other. When it tells a story shaped by style and origin. Of soil and climatic conditions. The characteristics of the vintage. The conditions in the cellar. And above all: the preferences of the person who makes the wine.
Wine is always a little bit of art - when it touches people and connects them with each other.
Therefore, wine is always a little bit of art. At least when it touches people. Connects them with each other. When it tells a story shaped by style and origin. Of soil and climatic conditions. The characteristics of the vintage. The conditions in the cellar. And above all: the preferences of the person who makes the wine.
When was the harvest and, most importantly, who did it? Man? Or machine? Human hands or the steel paws of a grape harvester? How were the vineyards cultivated? Herbicide-free and biodynamic or with gallons of glyphosate?
How was fermentation process? Spontaneously or with industrial yeasts? Skin contact? Direct press? Macération carbonique? How was the wine pressed? Did somebody squeeze the shit of the grapes or was the juice gently stroked out of the delicate berries? Is the wine filtered? How long was it allowed to mature? And very important: Where did it ripen? In barriques, tonneaus or fuder casks? And from which cooperage do the respective containers originate? New wood, old wood or no wood at all, as the winery prefers to use steel tanks, glass balloons or concrete eggs? And finally: sulphur or no sulphur? In my opinion, the boundaries between craftsmanship and art are blurred here, because they fluently interweave craftsmanship and personal preferences, which always follow an artistic and gustatory path.
Co-operative bigwigs and global players flooding the market with beverage-tech products to slap a soulless lid on Generation Gourmeggle are, of course, about as close to this as my toilet bowl is to a Jackson Pollock painting – after an espresso doppio explosion.
"Things get interesting when art physically meets wine. For example, on the iconic labels of Mouton Rothschild, a Château in Pauillac, that turn the bellies of bottles with artist's labels into small canvases. The wines are certainly tasty, but pretty fucking expensive for the average person. Do the labels make the wines any better? Of course not. Sure, they’re a nice gimmick and a marketing tool for the winery’s storytelling and further mystifying the brand – but in the end, the only thing that matters is what ends up in the sippy cup. "
"Things get interesting when art physically meets wine. For example, on the iconic labels of Mouton Rothschild, a Château in Pauillac, that turn the bellies of bottles with artist's labels into small canvases. The wines are certainly tasty, but pretty fucking expensive for the average person. Do the labels make the wines any better? Of course not. Sure, they’re a nice gimmick and a marketing tool for the winery’s storytelling and further mystifying the brand – but in the end, the only thing that matters is what ends up in the sippy cup. "
Better art in the bottle than on the bottle – to put it in flawless wall tattoo lingo.
Do the labels make the wines better? Of course not. Certainly, they are a nice gimmick and marketing tool for the winery's own storytelling purposes and further mystification of the brand.
But even without an artsy presentation on bottles, parallels can be drawn between wine and art. Wine has soul. Like art. Wine inspires. Like art. Wine connects people, triggers discussions, stimulates and excites, intoxicates, inspires and touches. Exactly like art. Wine tells stories. And the path to the finished result is also characterized by ups and downs. Of despair and delusions. Just like in art. Styles like genre. Cellars like studios. Bottles like canvases. Wolfang Beltracchi, Rudy Kurniawan, Pablo Picasso, Aubert de Villaine, the transitions are fluid. Like wine.
Whether it is really uncorked art or dry craftsmanship is not for me to say. Perhaps we can simply agree that wine is neither art nor craft, but an artsy craft that touches us all deeply. Or to put it another way: perhaps wine is not art, but art is simply wine. Have you ever thought about that?
But even without an artsy presentation on bottles, parallels can be drawn between wine and art. Wine has soul. Like art. Wine inspires. Like art. Wine connects people, triggers discussions, stimulates and excites, intoxicates, inspires and touches. Exactly like art. Wine tells stories. And the path to the finished result is also characterized by ups and downs. Of despair and delusions. Just like in art. Styles like genre. Cellars like studios. Bottles like canvases. Wolfang Beltracchi, Rudy Kurniawan, Pablo Picasso, Aubert de Villaine, the transitions are fluid. Like wine.
Whether it is really uncorked art or dry craftsmanship is not for me to say. Perhaps we can simply agree that wine is neither art nor craft, but an artsy craft that touches us all deeply. Or to put it another way: perhaps wine is not art, but art is simply wine. Have you ever thought about that?
Milton Sidney Curtis, wine influencer and freelance writer, brings wit, edge, and charm to the world of wine with his writing. Whether it’s fine drops from small wineries or branded wines from global players: Sidney tastes, reviews, and stirs up debate. A self-proclaimed “silly ass” for everyone who loves wine!
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