The oldest wine labels date from the 2nd half of the 18th century and can be seen in the wine museum in Beaune (Burgundy). The French winery Château Mouton Rothschild has brought art & wine together at a high level. We listen to the history of this development and look at the designs that the artists have created.
During the wine tasting we make a ‘tour de vin de France’. We travel from the cooler wine regions through the temperate zones in central France to the sun-drenched regions in the south.
Wine: a source of inspiration for artists
Since 1945, the wines of the premier grand cru winery Château Mouton Rothschild have been labeled by an internationally renowned artist. In 1994, ‘our’ Karel Appel received this prestigious assignment. The latest label designed by an artist is featured on the bottles of the 2019 vintage. We look at which artists have been given this assignment over the years and how they have managed to associate their artist’s gaze with wine.
France, the classic wine country
France is not the cradle of wine – it lies in the Caucasus – but it’s considered the ‘motherland’. The vine can be found in this country for 200 decades and despite the increasing competition from wines from other countries in and outside Europe, France remains the largest wine producer in the world, alternating with Italy.
The country has 12 wine regions, not counting the Charente where many grapes for cognac are grown. If we travel from north to south, these are Champagne, Alsace, Burgundy, Jura-Savoie, Beaujolais, Bordeaux, Rhone, South-West, Languedoc- Roussillon en Provence/Corsica. These wine regions all have their own specific wines based on the soils, grape varieties and types that are best suited to them. There is a lot of diversity. We make a tour through France and taste wines characteristic of each wine region.