Piesporter

Piesporter is an off dry white wine named after the town of Piesport in Germany. Mine had a distinct taste of honeydew melon, quite delicious. I think if a person is new to wine drinking and think most wines are dry tasting, start with a Piesporter or any other German wine and you'll be pleasantly surprised at its slightly sweet and fruity finish. The wine won a gold medal at the 2002 WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Competition, a silver medal in 2003, same competition, a silver medal at the 2003 Home Wine & Beer Trade Association International Amateur Competition, and a bronze medal at the 2003 Indiana State Fair International Amateur Wine Competition. It is my favorite tasting white wine.

Pinot Noir

This label is a combination of a picture from the internet and my wife's creation, using a process called smudging. This wine won a Silver medal at the Indiana State Fair International Amateur Wine Competition in 2003, and a Bronze Medal at the WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition, also in 2003.

Pinotage Cabernet

This is a well known label that my wife altered for my Pinotage. A popular variety of grape from South Africa, it possesses a distinct tangy finish, unlike other Cabs. It was awarded a Silver medal at the 2006 Home Wine & Beer Trade Association International Amateur wine competition and a Bronze medal at the 2005 WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition. Also a Silver Medal at the 2004 Indiana State Fair International Amateur Wine Competition. This label also won a "best label" at the Colorado State Fair in 2004.

Burgundy

This is one of the first labels that my wife made that we found on the internet. I don't know the artist but it was called "lady with ewer." Bourgeron Rouge, or Burgundy is a medium bodied red wine that goes well with red meat and marinara pastas. This wine won 3 awards, Silver in the 2003 WineMaker Magazine International Amateur Wine Competition, a Bronze medal at the 2003 Indiana State Fair, and a Bronze medal at the International 2003 Home Wine & Beer Trade Association wine competition.

Riesling Icewine

Two labels were made for the Ice Wine. My wife likes the grape stomper and I the grape milker. This wine won a bronze medal at the 2004 Indiana State Fair. On a 1 to 10 sweetness scale, Ice Wine is a 10. It's name comes from the fact that the grapes are harvested immediately after they are frozen solid on the vine, thus concentrating the sugar content. It is a delicious desert wine with tastes of honey, peaches, nectarines, and plums. Not many people have tasted Ice Wine as it is fairly pricey, anywhere from $20 to$80 per bottle depending on the brand. And the bottle is a "split", 375mls as opposed to a regular 750ml wine bottle. Everybody always wants to know if I have any on hand or when will I be making more Ice Wine.

White Zinfandel

This label is from another one of my favorite artists, Alphonse Mucha. I have used him in other labels. White Zinfandel is an excellent starting point to be introduced to the world of wines. If you're in charge of bringing the wine to a get together, white zin matches up with either red meat or white. My white zin won a Silver Medal at the 2004 Indiana State Fair, and Silver at the 2005 WineMaker Magazine competition. It is an off-dry slightly sweet goes with just about anything wine. Enjoy!

Shiraz

The artwork for this label is by the English artist Dante Rossetti. The face of the lady is the same face in most of his works, is thought to be that of his wife. If the wine is made from grapes grown in Australia or New Zealand it is Shiraz. If the grapes are California grown the wine is Syrah. I have made both. This wine won 2 bronze medals, one at the Indiana State Fair and the other at the WineMaker Magazine competition in 2003. It is a medium bodied soft red.

Sauvignon Blanc

This label is an example of the artwork of one of my favorite impressionist artists, Barbara Bales, who is also an illustrator for Reader's Digest. I told her I thought her art is beautiful, and received a nice email reply from her thanking me for the compliment. I entered this wine at the Indiana State Fair in 2003 and received a bronze medal. Sauvignon Blanc is a crisp dry white wine with a herbaceous finish. Quite nice when chilled.

Blackberry Port

With the help of the internet, here is how I would make movie posters! My wonderful wife is computer literate as you can see how she composed my versions of movie posters. I entered this at the Cowie Winery wine festival and competition in Paris.....Arkansas,that is, and was awarded best in class and received a 1oz silver coin for a medal along with 2 other coins for my other entries. Mr Cowie enclosed a letter along with the awards saying "you did quite well for yourself, first time entrant." I also was lucky enough to win a silver medal at the 2005 WineMaker Magazine international competition.

Chablis Rose

The Chablis Rose label was made with a bargain basement printer. It turned out to be a plus however, when the printer made the label appear to be made from cloth. This was the second batch of wine I made way back in 1999. A slightly sweet blush wine that was a big hit at a block party!

May Port

The Port label was designed by my wife, Debbie. She used clip art pictures for the face. I wanted something similar to the enigmatic face on the Louis Jadot wine labels. Port is a fortified wine with between 18 to 21 % alcohol content, quite potent! This makes it a good wine to age. In some cultures a bottle of Port wine is stored upon the birth of a son and then is opened for his 21st birthday celebration. The May Port won a gold medal at the 2003 Winemaker Magazine wine competition, one of the largest wine competitions in the country.

Rioja

The Rioja label was designed from an old Cinzano vermouth label from the 1930's that I found on the internet. Rioja is a medium bodied red wine, very dry, some call it the national wine of Spain.

Marilyn Merlot

I made this wine in 2004, it was my take on the commercial brand of white merlot. This wine won a Silver Medal at the 2004 Indiana State Fair. Indy is THE largest wine judging competition in the country, bigger than anything in California. White Merlot is a very tasty blush.