Swanson's Vineyards Modern House Wines Make Great Gifts. For Just About Anyone.

Wondering what to bring to your next dinner party? Or to buy for the Boss/Friend/Co-worker/Therapist/Lover or basically anyone who drinks wine? Look no further than Swanson Vineyard's Modern House Wines.

Bizarre Bottles of Bubbly. 43 Artist Designed Bottles of Zarb Champagne.

(each of the above bottles are shown individually in this post, just keep reading)

Chances are you celebrated the ringing in of 2013 with some sort of Champagne or sparkling wine as is the tradition. But I'm willing to bet the bottles weren't as cool as these. Zarb was launched as a new brand of champagne in 2009. The brand takes its name from the French slang word for ‘bizarre’. Zarb, then, is no traditional champagne brand, but rather traditional champagne with an unconventional look, based on an unconventional idea. Zarb breaks with the outward clichés of traditional champagne bottles and is available in collections of fashionable bottles made by internationally acclaimed artists.

The Zarb Champagne Design Collection (Bottles available for purchase):

Angels:

Belly Button:

Hope:

Octopus:

Lips:

Delft:

Surface (mermaid):

and the Classic Black Bottle:

Buy Zarb Design Bottles here.

The Zarb Champagne Art Collection (These are not for sale):

Snow:

Beach:

EdhV:

Fire Extinguisher:

Fragile:

Bird Bones:

Corset:

Golf:

Hansje:

Hope 2:

Nepco:

Rocket:

Camera:

Diewertje:

Floral:

Funeral:

Miktor and Molf:

Tjep:


A look at the Zarb Art Bottles exhibited at The Joyce Gallery Palais Royal in Paris last year:


















all images courtesy of Zarb Champagne

About the Champagne


Zarb Champagne is produced for Zarb by the Baron family in the village of Charly-Sur-Marne, in the western side of the Champagne region.

The grapes used in the blends are grown on a 38-hectare stretch of land with the best vineyards in this part of Champagne, owned by the Baron family.

Zarb Champagne is dominated by the Meunier (55%), bringing fruitiness and delicacy to the cuveé, blended with the finesse of the Chardonnay (30%) and the strength of the Pinot Noir (15%).

Zarb rests on the lees for 36 months, which is much more than the minimum requirement of 15 months, and gives Zarb its refined bubbles. The production process is carefully controlled and technically advanced under a constant temperature of 12 ̊C.

This all contributes to Zarb’s modern, fruity taste that appeals to a broad audience.

BLEND
30% Chardonnay - 55% Meunier - 15% Pinot Noir

CELLARS
Second Fermentation at 12°C,
Stocking on lies at 12°C,
Stocking after discorching at 12°C (3-6 months minimum), Riddling 100% on gyropalette,
Stock capacity: 4000 m2

WINERY
Pressing Unit Quality Agreed, Winery Capacity : 19 000 Hl Alcoholic Fermentation: 16°C Malolactic Fermentation: 20°C No collage, filtration, Tartaric Stabilisation of all wine, Matured in vats at 12°C.

VINEYARDS
Own vineyards:
38 Ha + buying grapes in the area around Charly
Soil: chalky-clayey soil
Best sites overlooking the River Marne
Grand Cru grapes from the mountains of Reims and Côte des Blanc

HISTORY
1961: Vineyards of 1-hectare vineyard
1967: Creation of company
1991-1992: Creation of a new 2100m2 cellar and production unit 2000: Extension of the stockage cellar : + 2000 m2
2001: Extension of the winery : + 3000 hl
2005: Extension of the winery : + 5300 hl
+ one 12 000 kg press

Currently, orders at Zarb Champagne can only be delivered in the European Union. Please find below the rates per parcel (maximum 18 bottles in the European Union) and the shipping lead time per country of destination.

Zarb Champagne

Patrón Añejo Holiday 2012 Guitar Bottle Stopper by John Varvatos.

Award-winning fashion designer John Varvatos teamed up with design agency Mode Design Group (MDG) to create a custom, limited edition bottle for tequila brand Patrón this holiday season.



Varvatos designed a Guitar headstock and tuning pegs along with Patron's Bee symbol to function as the stopper on a bottle of for Patrón Añejo for the 2012 holiday season, alluding to the rock n' roll vibe of both the fashion designer and the tequila brand.



MDG facilitated the collaboration between the brands and helped realize the branding, logo and package design. The Patrón Añejo bottle comes in a customized box, created to fit the guitar-shaped stopper, and embodies the rock n’ roll vibe that John Varvatos is known for.



This was the first designer collaboration for Patrón and the first spirits collaboration for John Varvatos. “This guitar stopper is a perfect blend of the two brands. John Varvatos put his trademark rock n’ roll edge on the iconic Patrón bottle. It’s an exciting blend of fashion, music and spirits, and with the custom box to complete the package, it really makes a perfect holiday gift”. Says MDG Creative Director Gabrielle Rein.

The bottles hit shelves in December, and will be available for purchase through the 2012 holiday season.