I love art. Wine is art, music is art, paintings and sculptures are art. Put them all together and you have a perfect day. Place them all in France’s wine country, and you have utopia, at least in my humble opinion. World renown artists have long graced wine bottles. Those images attract us right to the bottle, by something visceral from deep within. Let’s say, you’re standing in front of a wine shop’s display racks, you’re not quite sure which wine to choose, since you didn’t go in the store with a specific brand in mind. As you stand there, you’re taken in by all of the labels. If you don’t see a wine you recognize, you’re not driven by the left side of your brain (logical). You’re driven by the right side, the artistic side. [I always remember Left = Logical, two “L” words. That makes Right = aRtistic.]
So, all of these labels in the Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Contest are going to be ones that you’ve never seen before, because they’ve all just been created for this contest. That means it’s going to be a visceral experience, and you’re invited! (Best way to judge art, right?)
I found one that reminds me of my trip to the Golden Stone Village of Oingt, when Lorraine Raguseo and I were exploring and we turned a corner. I saw art, just standing right there and it was so “wine country.” Of course, it brought me right back and it’s my choice. The following images below are from 14 artists, from 1,000 entries. Imagine… 1,000 entries. This has become a coveted art contest over the past four years, as the Duboeuf family continues to look for label art to grace this upcoming 2020 vintage of Nouveau Beaujolais.
I voted and if my choice has been created by my lucky artist, it will be a bottle that I will hang onto, long after the wine is enjoyed.
I suggest you vote fairly quickly. Voting ends on May 1. The artist who created the label that receives the most votes within this period will receive a $3,500 grant and will have their artwork turned into a label that will be printed on more than a million bottles of Beaujolais Nouveau.
Just in from Georges Duboeuf…
DRUM ROLL PLEASE!!!
After an intense two weeks spent evaluating all of the incredible artwork we received in our 4th Annual Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition, the finalists have been selected! With over 1,000 submissions reviewed by our judging panel, selecting the top 14 was not an easy task. We’d like to thank all of you for submitting, voting and supporting the contest this year.
We hope you’ll join with us in congratulating the artists who have made it to this next round of the competition. Cast your vote for your favorite by leaving a comment on this post (one per user, please) and by voting on our website (www.nouveaulabelcontest.com).
ON THEIR SITE: Below are the 14 finalists for this year’s contest! Please vote for your favorite at the bottom of this page. Voting is open through May 1st, 2020.
ABOUT GEORGES DuBOEUF
Nouveau Label Contest
What is BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU?
Beaujolais Nouveau is a young, fruity, and fresh red wine that is made and released every year on the third Thursday of November only 6-8 weeks after the grapes are harvested. The annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau has its roots in a regional celebration of the end of harvest that has happened in Beaujolais for generations. Beaujolais Nouveau is a festive and fun wine – what the French call “vin de soif” – that is, thirst-quenching and easy to drink.
Over 35 years ago, Georges Duboeuf decided to share that tradition and celebration with wine lovers around the world and released his first Beaujolais Nouveau in markets across the globe. Since then, the annual release of Beaujolais Nouveau has grown into the world’s largest annual wine celebration.
In the U.S., Beaujolais Nouveau’s release the week before Thanksgiving marks the unofficial beginning of the holiday season. And what perfect timing – you won’t find a better turkey wine!
For many years, the wine was released every year with a different artist-designed label and the annual reveal of the label and design was almost as exciting as the wine itself. The different label designs reflected the fact that every year, Beaujolais Nouveau is a new and different wine – each bottling a unique expression of that vintage and a preview of what is to come.
It was in this spirit that, in 2017, Les Vins Georges Duboeuf held the first annual Nouveau Artist Label Competition. We continue this tradition and are again inviting artists from all over the U.S. to submit their own design that captures the joyous and exuberant qualities of Beaujolais Nouveau – all of the things that make it the perfect wine to share with friends, family, and loved ones. It is a celebration unto itself!
Special thank you to Wine Business for publishing this story.
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