Dennis Diane Sienko proprietors of Bend Wine Cellar Women Tasting Wine, Bend’s wine education program for women, hope to see the Central Oregon vineyards succeed. That desire to depict what Central Oregon would be with lush vineyards hugging our geographic icons is powerful. The Sienkos cooperated with Chris Baker of Ancient Cellars in Dundee to craft a Zinf el wine from 2010 Columbia Valley grapes as a birth year wine for their gr son, Asher.
Making this wine provided an opportunity to create an artful wine label to marry the Sienko’s love of fine wine with their love of Central Oregon. They approached their friend renowned artist, Mary Marquiss, commissioned her to create a watercolor for the wine’s label.
Marquiss says, “I often hear people say they purchase wine because they love the label, I underst why. The interesting range of art on wine bottles runs from black white European wood block prints to whimsical cartoons even Marilyn Monroe signature peel reveal labels. Br ing wine is serious business.”
As an artist, creating a wine label has been a desire Marquiss has envisioned for a long time, so when the Sienkos approached her to create their label she was thrilled, at first. Then the reality of actually creating their vision to appear real became challenging.
“A vineyard at the foot of the Three Sisters doesn’t exist so I had to create something that could seem possible,” Marquiss says. “I pulled out my reference photos from vineyards in Dundee with their glorious fall colors. I pushed the warm contrast of the vines against the cool mountains as a final touch I created the focal point with two birds to represent The Sienko’s vision.”
The watercolor, named Three Sisters Vineyard, shows a vineyard in the fall, at harvest time when the grape leaves have turned to the brilliant yellow, red orange colors that dem attention. The majestic Three Sisters Mountains are in the background, waiting for this winter’s first snow.
The Three Sisters Vineyard watercolor inspired the Sienkos to commission Marquiss to create a different watercolor for the 2011 vintage of the Zinf el. Mount Bachelor Vineyard depicts Mount Bachelor in winter with early morning alpenglow behind an ancient head-pruned vineyard populated with gnarly old grape vines. The 2011 Zinf el will be available near December 2012.
The Sienkos plan to commission Marquiss to produce art for labels of the next Zinf el vintages, continuing the theme of vineyards next to iconic Central Oregon geographic features. These two watercolors will show fanciful Central Oregon vineyards in spring summer.
The 2010 Ancient Cellars Asher Zinf el is available from Bend Wine Cellar at 1444 NW College Way in Bend. Copies of the watercolors created by Marquiss are displayed at Bend Wine Cellar are available for purchase, framed unframed, from Bend Wine Cellar.
541-385-9258, Dennis@BendWineCellar.com.