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FEBRUARY NEWS Two red wines from 2010 and a small batch of 2011 Traminette wear labels outfitted with the winning art from last year's Collector's Series. Missouri Winery Art Competition Continues Winners of Les Bourgeois Vineyards' annual contest see artwork on labels R ocheport, Mo.—Les Bourgeois Vineyards continued its annual contest to find original artwork for the 14th vintage of its Collector's Series line of wines. Three winning entries will be featured on the limited Collector's Series bottling. The art is judged on technical merit and doesn't need to be connected with wine, said Les Bourgeois' marketing director, Rachel Mills. Last year's winners included a dizzying photo dubbed "All in Perspective" by Brandi Majerle, a still life with typewriter ("Royal Quiet Deluxe" by Rachel Krause) and a pet portrait, "Bleu," by Hollis D. Taylor. The fact that all three winners last year are Missouri-based is strictly coincidental, Mills said. As organizer of the competition, Mills prepares a presentation of all the entries. As in a blind tasting, the judges do not know who produced the art. Mills estimated last year they evaluated some 200 entries "from all over the world." The judging panel gathers at the winery before noon to view, discuss and whittle down the competition. Mills did stress a single-subject limitation. "There's no way we can get approval for a nude," she said. Founded in 1991, Les Bourgeois invested $2 million in 2010 to become Missouri's third-largest winery, with an annual production of 51,000 cases. Its biggest sellers tend to be from Native American (Norton, Concord) and hybrid grapes (Vidal, Vignoles, Chambourcin). The Collector's Series, Mills said, is sold only at the tasting room and to a very limited selection of key local accounts. Since the art is incorporated into existing TTB-approved labels, new certificates of label approval are not required. Hollis D. Taylor, a high school art instructor in Tuscumbia, Mo., was one of the winners last year, the first time she'd entered. A specialist in commissioned portraits of pets, people and places, Taylor painted the endearing portrait of a Texas canine, "Bleu," who graces the Collector's Series 2011 Traminette. Since the 2012 competition, Taylor has teamed with Les Bourgeois to exhibit at a benefit for the local humane society. The winning bidder at that show "just called me" to commission another painting, Taylor told Wines & Vines. The winning artwork for 2013 will debut at a winery gala in June. — Jane Firstenfeld THE ART LIVES ON… { To effect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. —Henry David Thoreau } Our barrels are works of art, crafted with expertise and perfection to honor wine. Partner with Tonnellerie Quintessence to create your masterpiece. 8 route de Canteloup—33750 Beychac & Caillau www.tonnelleriequintessence.fr Win es & Vin es F EB RUA RY 20 13 23