Ornellaia presents: The Harmony of the “Vendemmia d’Artista” (Artist Harvest)

Internationally acclaimed artist Ghada Amer, who worked with Reza Farkhondeh to design the red flagship of Tenuta, interpreted the 2007 Ornellaia L’Armonia. The artists created a series of paintings with collages for a limited edition of labels, which adorn three exclusive sets of large format bottles of the 2007 Ornellaia. Furthermore, Amer was commissioned to create an individual garden installation for the Tenuta dell’Ornellaia in Bolgheri.

In April, Tenuta dell’Ornellaia will reveal the complete sequence of labels designed by Ghada Amer and Reza Farkhondeh at a gala dinner at the Whitney Museum of American Art. The limited edition series, including 127 collectible bottles of the 2007 Ornellaia, interprets the theme of “Harmony” through the phrase “Happily*Ever*After”. For the unique 9-liter Salmanazar bottle, the artists created an extraordinary label, painted on fabric.

The hand-stitched phrase “Happily*Ever*After” peers through a layer of acrylic paint and it appears as a circular medallion in the center of a square artwork. For the 18 Imperial bottles (6 liter), the artists created 18 labels that consist of paintings on fabric, hand embroidery, glued collage elements, and drawings colored with pencil. Each bottle features a single letter or “space” from the phrase “Happily*Ever*After”.

The 108 Double Magnums (3 liter) are decorated with labels similar to those on the Imperial bottles, and each label shows one letter or space from the phrase “Happily*Ever*After”. These labels were created by applying the intaglio printing method. Six series are available, each in a different color: Copper, emerald green, slate gray, brilliant pink, violet, and ruby.

At the gala, a live and online auction will be conducted by a Sotheby‘s auctioneer where a part of the particularly valued collector’s items of the Vendemmia d‘Artista-series will be sold. Those interested can bid for the unique Salmanazar, 4 Imperial bottles (which form the word “ever”) as well as the copper-colored series of the 18 Double Magnums, which together form the complete phrase “Happily*Ever*After” (Only the Salmanar bottle shows the complete phrase, the Imperial and Double Magnum bottles only feature one letter each). Proceeds will be donated to the Whitney Museum of American Art, the leading institution in the area of modern and contemporary American art.

“After the success and the reception of last year’s launch of the Vendemmia d‘Artista project, which aims to recapture the tradition and value of commissioned art in a modern way, the project now embarks on its second trip”, says Giovanni Geddes, managing director of Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia. “Since 2008, which marked the 20th anniversary of the wine estate, we have started committing ourselves to the international artistic heritage and have raised donations for restoration efforts,” reports the CEO. “In just two years, more than 200,000 Euros have been raised by the estate. This is just a drop in the ocean compared to what we are planning to donate to the Whitney Museum in New York next April,” explains Geddes.

“Working with Ornellaia was a perfect match for us,” says Ghada Amer about her project with Reza Farkhondeh. “Just as artists take raw materials to form something beautiful out of it, Ornellaia creates each new vintage,” illustrates the artist. “The similarity of these two worlds inspired us to create a series of labels which not only portray the harmony of the 2007 vintage, but also the harmony between two artists working together,” said Amer.

“After all, wine is quite similar to human beings, due to its uniqueness,” emphasizes Leonardo Raspini, general director and agronomist at Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia. “Each vintage entails traits which make it truly unique,” he adds. “Indeed, we are always working on the distinctive style of the Ornellaia, but at the same time, we are attempting to identify, underline, and develop the specific characteristics of each individual vintage,” recounts Raspini. He emphasizes that “the 2007 Ornellaia reveals an utterly classic style. Its increasingly fine balance and proportion have produced a wine whose character expresses the quintessence of the ‘Harmony’ theme.”

A film about the 2007 Ornellaia Vendemmia d‘Artista, which was directed by filmmaker Luca Fantini and which shows all protagonists of the project, will be presented during the Gala dinner.

Wine should be the truest expression of its terroir – that is Tenuta dell’ Ornellaia’s philosophy. The grapes used for Ornellaia are hand-picked in the estate vineyards in Bolgheri. The diverse nature of the soils – alluvial, marine and volcanic — is ideal for the cultivation of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot.

The first Ornellaia was produced in 1985 and has received numerous recognitions over the years. The 2004 Ornellaia was among the top ten in the Wine Spectator journal’s “Top 100 of 2007” and the 1998 vintage was awarded the title of “Wine of the Year 2001”by the same magazine. (aw.yoopress)