The art of wine labelling is often overlooked in the desire to find that perfect bottle, one that matches quality with affordability.
But one former Bruxellois can lay claim to perfecting the art of really eye-catching labels on bottles of wine.
Audrey Bakx helps run a vineyard, called Clos Monicord, with her parents Joep and Mireille but Audrey’s talents do not end with the planting and harvesting of vines.
Far from it, in fact.
For years now she has developed the art, often taken for granted, of designing the sort of
label that might grab your attention when perusing the wine section of your local supermarket.
She creates drawings, wine labels, installations and artistic concepts for clients in the wine, gastronomy and hospitality world. Her work draws inspiration from nature, human behaviour and biodynamic practices, which she translates into fine, abstract and often ephemeral drawings, as well as paintings, sculptures and installations.
Audrey, who used to live and study in Brussels, designs no less than six quite different labels for the same wine, saying that each one carries its own “message” and “story.”
And what an eclectic mix of labels and messages they are.
One portrays the trellis used on wine estates, another is a depiction of the people who work on such places. Another shows the birds and animals you might expect to find on a vineyard while another of Audrey’s many labels is an image of the objects used in wine production.
Yet another one, particularly inventive, shows the food – meat, fish etc – that that wine is best served with and even some recipes for the said dish.
The list is endless and goes back to 2005 when she first got involved in her parents’ winery, located at a secluded limestone plateaux on Bordeaux’s right bank.
The number of labels she designs depends on wine volumes but, normally, it’s done for several thousand bottles.
Audrey, both a visual artist and Demeter-certified wine maker, has strong Benelux links. She was born in Luxembourg, attended French school in Brussels and later studied at a college of fine art in Amsterdam.
Her Dutch-born dad and mum, from France, started the winery back in 2000. Joep had previously been involved in a totally different life: as general manager of the old Conrad Hotel on Avenue Louise in Brussels from 1992-1995.
The family are much travelled and lived in the UK for a spell (in Plymouth and London), a period they still very fondly recall.
All three, who speak fluent English, were back in Belgium to attend a wine fair in Gent (6/7 December) and took the chance to explain to this website the fascinating they do.
Audrey, aged 45, is multi-talented but her “speciality” lays in designing the delightful labels for the wine produced on the family estate.
She believes each label is a
“way of talking about the wine”,
adding,
“there is a story or message behind each one.”
The estate very much puts the emphasis on bio dynamic wines and, on this, Audrey states,
“This is not something you do in 5 minutes but, rather, is a philosophy. You do it for a reason.”
Joep is equally passionate about producing such wines although he concedes that climate change is proving a major challenge to those, like him, in the wine industry.
A particular issue, he says is very heavy rainfall and hail, both of which appear to be happening at times the year when least expected.
One remedy for such adverse weather that Joep now employs is not one you might necessarily find in conventional wine manuals.
What he does is make a sort of “tea” out of valerian, a herb usually used as a sleeping aid, and spray his vines with it. This, he says, “calms” the vines and can help offset the potentially damaging impact of heavy rainfall.
That is not all. Joep and family also use egg-shaped stoneware vats, instead of wooden barrels, for their wines. This, it seems, allows the wine to “circulate” more easily, hence enhancing the taste and quality.
Audrey even now designs small versions of these “eggs” which she exhibits and sells on the family estate.
It is all a relatively novel but imaginative approach to wine growing and typical of the inventive mentality he has brought to the art since changing careers.
The basic philosophy of Clos Monicord, which extends to 18 hectares in total, is the preservation of bio diversity and produce a wine that is respectful of the soil, vine and terroir.
He and his family take pride in using no pesticides or herbicides in their “hands-off” approach to winemaking. No chemicals here, for sure.
Audrey’s creative talents have, in more recent times, added another dimension to the commendable work the family do. Her creative expertise has completed the venture her parents first started not long after they left Belgium.
Says Joep:
“We have a different way of looking at wine and nature. We try to think out of the box and act accordingly.
