Argyle unveils student artists’ labels

by Susan Brannon

“The unveiling of the student-generated labels that grace the recent release of an Argyle Winery vintage took place Sept. 15 with the Pacific Northwest College of Art students — Rebecca Giordano, Levi Hylton and Jeff Cravath — on hand.

The final design for the three-bottle set of wine came after months of a scholarship process that invited students from PNCA to pitch why they are a good choice to design the next label. A small committee reviewed the proposals and chose the three students, then tours of the winery and vineyard, talks on the history of Argyle and the wine industry helped inform the students in the creation of new designs.

The final labels tell a story of the grape, the vine and nature in abstract, realism and surreal form. Each design shows a different voice for the life of the vine.

‘This collaboration has really been fantastic,’ Argyle Winery spokeswoman Cathy Martin said. ‘We have learned as much from the PNCA students as they have from us. One of the biggest takeaways for me each year is the reminder that knowing the story behind something — whether it is a piece of art or a bottle of wine — can completely change your perspective. It is so important, now more than ever in this world of clicking and Tweeting, to take the time to hear the stories.’

Giordano designed her label by using an exploration of the Argyle story to show a unique interaction between humans and the vineyards of the Willamette Valley over time. Her final composition is abstract in design with geometric shapes that dance around the label with a black fingerprint-type background.

Hylton designed a surreal landscape that included aspects of the grape plant and the interaction between the plant and its ecosystem.

Cravath created a portrait of the grapevine in both divinity and science in a surreal spiritual representation of an ecosystem in a sphere.

‘The Art of Sparkling and our collaboration with the PNCA is a reflection of our deep roots in the community and our longtime support of the arts,’ Argyle Sales and Marketing Director Rob Alstrin said. ‘To nurture and celebrate the next generation of artists, while providing them a unique and highly visible platform for sharing their stunning original works of art, is something we believe in deeply.’”

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