The Oeno Files: Sometimes You Should Judge a Wine by Its Cover

There have always been similarities between art and wine. You could even call wine 'drinkable art'. To understand the merit of a piece of art — and have a deeper appreciation for it — you have to consider when it was created and what societal or contextual factors influence how you view it. Where are you are viewing the work, are you standing on the street or in a museum? Who was it created for? What is it made out of?

These are similar to the questions wine critics ask when assessing wine and the questions sommeliers ask when creating a wine list. What food will guests be eating with the wine? What techniques were used to create this wine? What is the wine's terroir? Looking at wine through this lens creates a new appreciation for what's in your glass.

But what about the art on the outside of the bottle? There are often hidden meanings and stories behind the images. Next time you're in a bottle shop, restaurant or even browsing online — take time to discover the stories within the labels, it adds to the sensory adventure you're about to embark upon.

The five wines below are a selection of wines that are not only delicious but whose wine labels also tell a story.

SHOPPING LIST

(from left to right)

1. 2017 Unico Zelo 'Halcyon Days' Nero d'Avola, Riverland, SA, $35
Illustrator Ruben Ireland's images were used for all of Unico Zelo's latest releases of nero d'avola ad fiano. The above 'Halcyon Days' label is from Ireland's artwork 'Here Before'. It depicts an ethereal woman with feathers in her hair, sitting with a butterfly lightly perched on her fingertips — a visual representation of winemaking and the delicacy of the grape's style.

2. 2016 Somos 'Tintito' Grenache Blend, McLaren Vale, SA, $24 from Different Drop
Behind this label is a young Australian artist from Melbourne called Eddy Sara — an absolute legend, bone cancer survivor and now, creator of amazing art. The label was originally created for a small batch syrah experiment by Somos winemakers Ben Caldwell and Maurico Ruiz. It was a big inky tannic variety, which is reflected in the label — a kraken battles with a bird of prey, representing the battle between the depth of the variety and the light, freshness of the winemaking. The label tells the story of the wine's new blend, too, with grenache being the base, like the ocean giving stability and drinkability, and then the octopus and eagle fighting it out to make the wine intriguing and interesting.

3. 2017 Yetti and the Kokonut 'Brose' Rose, Barossa Valley, SA, $25 from Different Drop
Brose celebrates the bromance between the wine's founders Dave Geyer (the Yetti) and Koen Janssens (the Kokonut), who spend more time together during vintage than they do with their own partners. Drawn by the incredibly talented Emma Shearer (who is also Janssens's fiancée), the range of labels all feature the yetti and his trusty sidekick, the coconut, in various hijinks. This label has them holding long-stemmed roses in their teeth.

4. 2017 Vinteloper Pinot Gris, Adelaide Hills, SA, $29
It's no secret who creates the labels for David Bowley's entire Vinteloper range of wines, as it is stated boldly on the label — his wife Sharon (Shaz) Hong. The pair discuss the label's design (over many bottles of wine) at dinner, talking about the flavours, the senses and the seasons. Hong translates that feeling onto paper through her unique artistic style, using symbols to describe the wines characters. The label itself becomes a visual representation of not only what's inside but also what it means to share wine with your loved ones.

5. 2015 Athletes of Wine 'Vinero' Chardonnay, Macedon Ranges VIC, $44
For the Athletes of Wine label, founders Matt Brooke and Liam O'Brien wanted a caricature that would represent their alter-egos. The boys came across Melbourne street artist David Booth who had his very own alter-ego called Ghostpatrol. When Brooke and O'Brien first saw it, they knew they'd found the perfect person to create their labels. Booth created for them the Vineyard Superhero, a character holding a tool that's equal parts ancient pruning tool and equal parts a corkscrew — the superhero is a vigneron by day and sommelier by night.

The Oeno Files is our new bi-weekly wine column keeping you up-to-date with the latest wine trends happening around the country.

Samantha Payne is a Sydney based wine consultant, writer and sommelier who has worked in the industry for over a decade. She travels, both locally and internationally, to chat with winemakers (and occasionally lend a hand in winemaking), write wine lists and hosts wine events.

Images: Lucia Braham