Wine Art: Visions of Taste
By Margaret Allyson on Art,
Krystyn Freidlin on Wine
| On very rare occasions, a winemaker and an artist share
a vision. Bringing to life a magical synergy of motifs we usually find only in fiction,
winemaker Bill Mosby of Santa Barbara County, California, and renowned artist Robert
Scherer of Appiano, Italy, present the Artist Series. "His art makes me think of misty
weather among the hills in certain parts of northern Italy. There’s an element of
mystery, a secretive feeling about it. The moment I saw his work, I knew I wanted him to
do a label for me," Mosby explains, referring to his first meeting with Scherer
in the Spring of 1998 at Freudenstein Castle near Appiano. Both he and his wife Jeri were captivated by
the artist’s work. colors, shapes, glass and light. |
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Unable to speak a common language and with no interpreters to assist
them, language barriers fell away in a camaraderie of hearty bread, cheese, wine and art
as winemaker and artist achieved communication with gestures, facial expressions, and
detailed drawings on white napkins.
Months later, the first completed watercolor arrived at the Mosby estate
in California from the castle in Appiano. "The minute I opened the envelope and saw
it, I knew it was right for my Pinot Grigio. All the elements are there,"
affirms Mosby. "It’s exactly right."
Viennese-trained artist Scherer has received numerous awards and
honors for his work and has studied and traveled worldwide. His paintings have been
exhibited to enthusiastic audiences on several continents. With varied interests and
skills, Scherer is also known for his mural painting and work in glass. Although the
watercolors created for the Mosby labels embody levels of meaning linking the images with
the wines, they stand on their own with composition, balance and subject matter appealing to
any discerning viewer.
The wine and its representative label art are intricately bound. The
aesthetic symbolism of the art visually tells of the wine inside. The
winemaker—artist of the vine, guides the wine. The painting for the label, made of
pigment, is transformed by the visual artist’s hand. Yet both wine and label are open
to interpretation, both offer entries to contemplation and delight. Our ideas are merely
the gateways.
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The 1999 Mosby Pinto Grigio was the first
wine to be graced with a label by Robert Scherer, but has since been
followed by art labels on the Mosby Teroldego, Cortese, Rosato di
Sangiovese, the Gold medal-winning 2000 Mosby
Dolcetto, and most recently the Mosby 2002 Traminer. This series of labels has been so well received that Bill entered them in
the 2002 Orange County Fair Commercial Wine Label Competition. |
| Result? The labels were awarded Best
of Show across all categories! To see what all the fuss is about, you
can view images of the Mosby artist's labels under artist
series, the wine
list and on the individual "more info" hyperlinks next to
each wine's description. Three of these special bottles presented in a
Mosby wine gift box make a stunning presentation. (Order Wine Online) |
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