The Marlborough region in New Zealand produces more than fifty percent of New Zealand’s finest wine. However, the cold climate means some innovative solutions are needed to combat grapes being damaged by frost as they grow in early spring. Enter the helicopter, flying low over vineyards to push warmer air from the inversion layer down onto the freezing ground and circulating the air. This has meant that more than 150 helicopters — a large portion New Zealand’s fleet — were in use over a small region at one time.

Brett from Nautilus wines explained that on average, the ‘choppers are called in for around three days a year to protect the crop. While helicopters might seem expensive, losing precious wine producing grapes can result in millions lost to frost.

The only alternative is to pick the grapes while frozen, producing wines known as ‘ice’ wines, which are very sweet as the water is frozen off, leaving a more concentrated flavour.

SPONSOR

You know what they say: when in New Zealand, do as the Kiwis do. Pegasus Bay is a beautiful, family-owned winery producing some of New Zealand’s finest wines. But people don’t visit just for the wine. The food is a secret weapon, with the restaurant serving up great local and seasonal dishes, using fresh, seasonal ingredients with some top-shelf choices mixed in. Our favourite dish was the black truffle frittata, which melted with flavour as we sat overlooking the wintery gardens in front of an open fire.

Having met during the making of The Godfather, Francis Ford Coppola and film production designer Dean Tavoularis continued to put their creative minds together for years following the film’s close. A few more films, interior and exterior designs, and other random projects later, Tavoularis’ artwork is now gracing the labels of Francis Coppola Reserve wines.

This limited edition production, highlights the vineyard’s renowned terroire and the beauty of Tavoularis’ striking work. With labels and wine as gorgeous as this, you can leave the gun – and the cannoli – and take the wine.

At Gut Oggau Estate Wines, generations of vintners have been producing Austrian wines with quality and character. Literally. To help the drinker identify what they can expect once the cork is popped, Gut Oggau assigned an actual face and personality to their wines. Each portrait on the label has a name and tells a story.

What started off somewhat simply – a younger portrait signifies a younger wine – has now grown more complex over time and today nine Gut Oggau Wines are all interconnected as grandparents, parents, and children, with interwoven stories and relationships. Designed by German agency Jung von Matt, the unique portraits boast beautiful illustrations, saturated with life and individuality. So, forget the rolling hills — let’s talk about a wine with real character.

Wine by Some Young Punks is, as you could guess, the product of three young Australian winemakers who have a reputation for solid wines and standout labels. The images plastered across the bottles are inspired, ‘bright and intense’ — intended to echo the wines themselves. Selected from original 1950s book covers, the packaging, like the wine, is juicy, tantalizing, and charismatic. And just as the name of one of their signature wines suggests, passion really does have red lips.

SPONSOR

Ever been totally confounded by the wine selection at your local booze shop? 94wines is here to help. Using a fun little survey on its website, the Dutch company claims it can find several wines that will be a perfect match for your particular tastes. Just answer six simple questions (Do you prefer mint or pepper? Would you rather walk on the beach or in a forest?), and out pops your ‘wine ID’. The company has its own line of wines – with names like Fresh, Spicy and Luscious — that are then matched to your score, and you can order them straight off the site. The company calls it ‘the most personal wine in the world’ — we call it a stellar idea.

Among ‘garage’ wine makers, Justin Lane is a legend for his passionately crafted wines, eclectic style, and loveable rogue-vintner ways. So after years of making other people’s bottles notorious, Lane’s newest incarnation — his own unique wine label — has been well anticipated. So too has its accompanying cellar door, AB&D Wine Salon. Here, Lane’s Alpha Box & Dice wines can be tasted in this quirky, though stylish, space. And the wines, like the cellar door, are full of character.

Of course, it was therefore necessary that the labels were too. Enter Mashdesign. In collaboration with Lane, thiscreative agency worked to dream up an image that would reflect the storytelling, old-school methods, and eclecticism that is Alpha Box & Dice. Each wine tells a story – 26 letters, 26 interconnected narratives.

Now available are ABCD&F (Apostle, Blood of Jupiter, Changing Lanes, Dead Winemakers Society, Fog), so whether at their cellar door or your local liquor store, make sure you get to know your ABCs.

Australian vintners Inkwell commissioned design firm Mash to create a new look for their bottles. The inkblot concept may seem obvious, but it’s really well done, and lends the bottles a sense of elegance and mystery — it will also really jump out on a shelf alongside a bunch of other wine.

Continuing in its tradition of striking brand imagery, the oh-so Italian apertif, Campari, has launched three inspired reinterpretations of its label. To celebrate its 150th birthday, the brand enlisted three contemporary artists for its Art Label Project: an initiative to highlight the cocktail’s long-standing love affair with the art world.

Using Campari’s notorious red hue as a muse of sorts, the three artists (one of which was a collective) took up the task of designing some knock-out new tags. From jazz-inspired, to an ethereal female wrapped in her own red hair, to an abstract interpretation of digital design, all three are unique and beautiful making for an overall exclusive — and molto buono — collection. Depending on where you on a map, this limited edition series is on sale throughout this year. Salute!

SPONSOR

So, first, a basic ‘You Ought To Know’ fact about wine. Expensive and palette seducing alcoholic grape juice always, and I mean always, highlights a sense a place. Meaning that the savvy wine drinker should be able to express the region where the grapes originates – with the über-connoisseur able to pinpoint a specific vineyard site and sometimes even that very plot of land within that vineyard. But, let’s be real. We’re rarely looking to drop $600 plus for that special Harlan Napa Cab experience and much of the time all we really want is that no-frills ‘Drink Till You’re Drunk’ Wine. Right?

Well, now you have it. Get your fists ready to tilt back the faddish Marauding Vintners Red Mr. (Pinot) Noir and White Miss (Pinot) Grigio, both made from contracted grapes from all across the world. As Marauding respectably laughs at their mysterious creations by enlisting the talented help of Illustrator, Harry Slaghekke at M/A/S/H Design Agency, you will soon be able to neglect that 2-Buck-Chuck in lieu of one Sugar Daddy Mobster or his respective Younger, Female companion, for under $10. Who’s getting robbed? Nope. It’s definitely not you.

Is that a one thousand dollar bottle of Mouton Rothschild with a label emblazoning the commissioned work of a famed artists such as Kadinsky, Chagall, Dali or Picasso? No and No. Instead, what you’re looking at is a surprisingly affordable bottle from the Australian producer, R Wines.

By appointing the M C Escher protégé, István Orosz, the line, Chateau Chateau, comes alive with Optical Illusion wonderment. He’s also succeeded in telling us a story — most notably seen in his label depiction of the two-faced Granache/Mourvèdre blend. At first look there appears a skillfully crafted skull (Powerhouse Granache), but at second glance there’s a gentler image (Soft Mouvèdre) – a white picket fence and man suspending from tree branches. Has fine art and fine wine finally made its way to the masses? Indeed, it seems it may be time to drink up.

Want to add a little mystery to your wine? How about something with a wondrous past? Well, look no further than Vinaceous. Hailing from Australia, Vinaceous Wines rock striking labels depicting sexy circus characters with quirky personas.

From the Snake Charmer to their most recent addition, Sirenya, these Public Creative-designed labels transcend traditional styles, throwing a bit more excitement into the increasingly aesthetically interesting New World wine market mix. And then there’s the wine itself. With grapes sourced from South and Western Australia and a solid reputation as a quality wine, Vinaceous has developed somewhat of a cult follwing around Oz. So if you’re in the mood for a little madness, give them a go. After all, life’s a circus.

While some vineyards work hard for high ratings, others are working to empower individuals. South African-based Thandi Wines wholly embraces the latter. As the first ever all black owned and operated vineyard in the world — not to mention the first Fair Trade-certified vineyard, too — Thandi fights to strengthen previously disadvantaged communities.

It is these communities of mostly poor farmers who not only serve as the operators on the ground for Thandi, but as a collective vineyard, they are all part owners too. With passion and will, these dedicated workers are changing the face of the industry. They also happen to produce quality wine that is growing an increasingly positive reputation throughout the world. So whether you go for their cabernet, chardonnay, or shiraz, you can be confident that in drinking Thandi you’re supporting and sharing in something powerful, well beyond the length of your glass.

SPONSOR

There are several cool things about this Australian Shiraz, Luchador Wine. The first is obvious: the eye-catching label with its bright illustrative work, imagined by the creative design team, Morning Breath. The comic book-esc feel of the labels turn what could have been ordinary bottles into collectors items. The second great thing about this wine is its name and poster-boy: the Luchador. That’s right, those oh-so-famous Mexican wrestlers.

The wine makers have bragged that through the use of the iconic Luchador, this classic Shiraz has been boasting some recognized Latino appeal — something the wine world all too rarely does. Finally, with a Robert Parker rating of 90 and a market price of about $15, it’s a reliably tasty wine that is nicely affordable. And whether or not it “will body-slam your tongue,” as it says on the bottle, the label alone should inspire you enough to pick up a bottle, or two, or four…

From the cool cats at Mash Design, comes yet another stellar set of creative, fun wine labels. This time around, Mash’s imaginative energy was put towards a series of designs for Red Heads Studio — an inspired collection of fifteen Southern Australian wines that garner impressive reviews worth boasting about. Though Mash is responsible for a number of the Red Heads Studio labels, the comic book like imagery for Esule stands out from the lot. Here, through imaginative illustrations that reflect ‘falling from grace’, the black and white labels convey the story of how two former kings of the wine grape world — Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc — were cast aside as other varieties came into vogue. But whatever the history, for sure Mash’s stylish design coupled with Esule’s strong wine ratings will help this deep, velvety red climb its way back up in the ranks.

The tumblers, vases, carafes, and jugs that make up the Transglass collection are crafted from recycled beer and wine bottles. With sharp lines and clean forms, Transglass is a brilliant fusion of sophisticated design and environmental-friendliness. The series is manufactured by Artecnica’s Design With A Conscience program, which focuses on artisanal labor and craft techniques that promote environmental, social, and economically sustainable practices. Bottoms up.

Renowned photographers Bèla Adler and Salvador Fresneda have paired together with Spanish agency Moruba to create a modern project for sustainable viticulture: Matsu’s photographic wine series. In this beautiful packaging, the labels for Spanish-based organic winery Matsu reveal the portraits of three generations that devote their lives to the vineyard. Each personality featured on the different bottles embodies the distinctiveness of that wine. Adler and Fresneda’s work captures the characters in a way that brings to life Matsu’s philosophy of linking nature with those that care about it. Through this portrait series, Matsu’s wine trilogy of ‘El Pícaro’, ‘El Recio’ and ‘El Viejo’ is stunningly realized.

SPONSOR

I don’t intend on tempting any grape cravings which some borderline AAs may be experiencing, but everyone deserves some red after a long day. Drop of the Day is an easy way to receive fantastic quality wine at an extremely competitive price. Sure there are places online that offer cheaper alternatives, but Drop of the Day offers quality wine that pleases your wallet and your taste buds, too. Better yet, there is a new drop available to choose from each day for around AU$9 per bottle. Hmmm, I recommend you go for the blends.

Young London-based designer Kacper Hamilton has created a set of seven wine glasses inspired by the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath (above), envy and pride.