A great pairing

Exhibit pairs artworks with County wines

Anew exhibit is on display at 2Gallery in Picton that pairs works of art with County wines. This is the third iteration of an idea that gallery director Jim Turner came up with as a way to involve the wider community. “We wanted to put together an exhibition that involved the greater community, not just us or our artists, and draw people in from all around the County. We came up with the idea of The County Collects, where we approach entrepreneurs and innovators and the movers and the shakers of the County and ask them to join us and be guest curators,” he said. The first two occurrences of this event invited the arts community and chefs to become guest curators. This time the gallery approached vintners, and 12 of them accepted the invitation. “We have a full case of wineries, and we’re very glad they came on board,” said Mr. Turner. “It’s harvest season right now, so they are up to their eyeballs, but they took the time out of their busy schedules to participate in the exhibition.”

The winemakers went through the galley’s online catalogue and chose the piece that they felt best paired with one of their wines. “It’s quite an interesting cross-section— we have reds, bubbly whites, classic County chardonnays and pinot noirs—and the pieces that they picked are all very diverse. We asked each of them to write a story about what their thoughts were for comparing that wine with that piece of art, and the results are amazing. The stories are unique and personal to the winemakers, and they’re a lot of fun to read,” said Mr. Turner.

Stanners Vineyard paired their 2021 Pinot Noir with artist Lori Mirabelli’s painting The Stone. “We make wine here in PEC because of the layered, fractured limestone bedrock. This painting speaks to us about this place and our Pinot Noir.”

“Here are some of the ideas that show up for us in the work: light, calm, tension, balance, delicacy, and mystery. Our Pinot Noir is compelling and deeply complex but delivered in a delicate body. Like The Stone it continues to engage your senses rather than telling you all its secrets at once,” they write. Redtail Vineyards paired their 2021 Gamay Rosé with artist’s Matt Schust painting Construct 15. “At first glance, the bottom of the canvas bursts forth in a vivid explosion of colour, resembling the luscious tones of Gamay Rosé. The overall artwork reminds us of the wine fermenting in the tank,” wrote Renan Theilloux and Jocelyn Gardner. Closson Chase paired their 2020 Churchside Chardonnay with Bill Stearman’s quilt People Have the Power, eh? in part because the quilt evokes the mosaic-roofed Christ Church on their property. “Our Chardonnay unveils itself like a harmonious symphony of flavours, mirroring the intricate dance of hues within the quilt,” wrote Closson Chase general manager Erin MacInnis.

Tim and Micheline Kuepfer of Broken Stone Winery chose a vibrant diptych by artist Claire Desjardins (Then You Said Hello) to pair with their 2021 Power Take Off PTO sparkling red. They use grapes from their own vineyard and grapes from By Chasdsey’s Cairns, where they are now stewards of the vineyards, to make the sparkling red “It’s a perfect representation of the collaboration between two vineyards and blends the terroirs into a beautiful expression of the County. What could be more appropriate than this wonderful abstract diptych? It’s a work that incorporates bursting energy, ruby red tones and effervescence,” they wrote. Micheline Kuepfer was delighted to be invited to participate as a guest curator. “I thought it was very exciting. It’s great to marry the art world with the art and science of making wines. It seemed like a great pairing,” she said.