ART-GYLE

Original labels designed by PNCA students

For Argyle Winery, the artistry of wine is evident with its return of the Art of Sparkling Brut, a scholarship program and limited-edition three-bottle gift set with original labels designed by Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) students.

In this second year of a partnership between Argyle and PNCA, the students aimed to express the winery’s different elements, including the land, the people, the wines, and even the challenges currently facing the industry. Prior to creating the artwork, participants spent the day in the vineyard, production facility and tasting room to learn more about the winery. Argyle awarded the three winners scholarships to continue their studies.

“The scholarship demonstrates our long-term commitment for creative expression,” said Chris Cullina, the program’s originator and Argyle’s sales and marketing director.  

The “gallery” of wines offers three unique pieces: Damien Dawahare’s woodcut of a Knudsen Vineyard old vine “overlays a representation of water, land and air, alluding to the climate and land-use flux in the Willamette Valley;” Catherine Ross’ abstract “embodies and celebrates the hard work of Argyle’s vineyard workers during harvest, depicting their collective energy at a time when they face unprecedented challenges to their safety and security;” and Madison Camcam’s textured piece, originally an oil painting on satin, “represents Argyle’s spirit, origin, production and product, right down to the bubbles coursing through Argyle’s bottle-aged Vintage Brut.”

The new set, vintage 2014, is available for $100 at the Argyle Tasting House in Dundee or online. Each gift-ready box includes profiles of the artists. Poster reproductions of the original artwork are also for sale at the Tasting House.