When Wine Meets Art

Like its rich winemaking history, the Armenian art scene has proven equal prominence, as many Prehistoric Armenian art pieces are estimated to date back more than 4,000 years. Art intertwines with many aspects of Armenian culture, and one indicator is the recent partnership between the Yerevan Biennial Art Foundation (YBAF) with EVN Wine Academy. 

During this partnership, up-and-coming local YBAF commissioned artists to create wine labels for the bottlings of EVN Wine Academy’s enrolled students.

As one of the most ancient wine-producing countries in the world, the Armenian wine industry has been undertaking a great endeavor lately, with dozens of newly established wine producers and vineyards throughout the country.

It was only a matter of time before both these affluent industries intertwined, and the founders of YBAF were the ones to take the first step. Established in 2019, YBAF is a multi-art foundation formed to boost tourism, strengthen cultural relations, and maintain the country's cultural diplomacy. Their partnership is representative of this mission, as both YBAF and EVN Wine Academy share similar visions.

As a pioneer of such programs in Armenia, EVN Wine Academy’s “Enology and Wine Business Program'' provides students with all the necessary skills to master winemaking, from vineyards to bottling. Each student has already created three wines: a “Blanc de Noir” and Rosé, made from Areni grapes, and a white wine from Voskehat.

^{Labels by Garo Ardaz}

The driving motive behind the project was to combine Armenian wine with art and promote it. The process came about when five YBAF artists were selected to create original designs that would become wine labels. The methodology for the artists included visiting the wineries and learning about their origins. Then, they began work on their wine labels. There were no restrictions on how they artistically depicted the process and what they picked as their main inspiration. Looking at each wine label, one can sense how different each artist's work is and how it reflects their own experience with the wine.

One example of the wine labels is Gohar Sargsyan’s "Drinkers" series, which later became a part of her “Strangers” collection. The artist explained, "The series is called Strangers because the main characters in this project are people I encountered in my daily life–on the streets, in cafés, shops, and at different events. I had to rely on my memory and on my impressions to create the main characters.” Sargsyan also demonstrated that the “Drinkers” reflects these people and those who seek poetry in wine, viewing it as a gateway to dreaming, thinking, and soaring in space. 

^{Artist Gohar Sargsyan}

Each of the five artists had to design three labels–one for a white, a red, and a rosé, with a production each of 65 bottles of red wine, 65 bottles of white wine, and 25 bottles of rosé. “Armenia has talented artists and a progressive wine culture, and both are considered a form of art, so why not combine both?” explains Fabio Lenzi, co-founder of YBAF. The project will be implemented once a year and will feature different YBAF artists and a different winery each time. The profits from the sales go towards supporting each artist individually and shedding more light on their works.

For now, the limited wine collection can be found in both locations of YBAF (Latitude Art Space on 7, Ashtarak Highway & A1 Art Space on 1/1, Khachatur Abovyan Str.), In Vino and Arami Restaurant.