Fans Of Georges Duboeuf Choose Original Art To Inaugurate The 'Artist Collector Series' For Beaujolais Nouveau

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf today revealed the original work of art to be featured on the 2017 vintage of its Beaujolais Nouveau, marking the 35 th year of the wine's appearance in the U.S.

Ari Azzopardi's "Candy Coated" was named the winner after voting took place on Facebook and Instagram in a competition of artists from around the world. The artwork will appear in the U.S. on as many as one million bottles of the "first wine of the harvest" which debuts, per French law and tradition, at 12:01 a.m. on the third Thursday in November (November 16, 2017).

Azzopardi is a mixed-media artist from St. Petersburg, Fla., with a BFA in painting and sculpture. Her creative process is driven by spontaneity, and focuses on form, color and energy.

"We are dedicating this vintage to the creators, dreamers, buildersanyone who is passionate about what they do," winery founder Georges Duboeuf said. "This artist competition and Ms. Azzopardi's work perfectly capture this sentiment."

For the first time, artists from a number of backgrounds submitted their label designs for a chance to win up to $5,000in grants. Jon Lutz, a Brooklyn-based art curator who has worked with emerging artists for the past 12 years, chose the 13 finalists from over 200 submissions.

Last year's label (the 2016 vintage) was also chosen by voting on social media, but entries came from professional graphic designers.

Les Vins Georges Duboeuf has a history of commissioning artist-designed labels for its Beaujolais Nouveau, as far back as the 1980s. The tradition of Nouveau began with the wine growers themselves who would celebrate the end of the harvest with this young wine. Bottled six to eight weeks after the grapes are harvested; Beaujolais Nouveau is fresh, fruity and vibrant.

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