Vineyards Magazine

The vigour of the vines interpreted through the visual brilliance 

of artists Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg

Ornellaia is delighted to reveal Il Vigore (‘Vigour’), the latest Vendemmia d’Artista dedicated to Ornellaia 2019 and thus described by Estate Director Axel Heinz: “Il Vigore is the strength of the healthy growth of the vines. It is the active vigour of mind and body. It is the character of a wine that captivates the senses and projects the flavour into a natural landscape of energy, power, strength and vitality. The flavours, aromatic nuances and the body of the wine transport it into a spiritual dimension, where the power of nature is central to the experience.”

The 2019 vintage provided the inspiration, characterized by highly variable conditions interspersed with cold, wet spells and long periods of heat and drought. After a changeable spring and an almost perfect summer, the lower temperatures at the end of September resulted in wines of great finesse and aromatic abundance. This is a powerful, mysterious and intriguing wine, whose first sip does not reveal all its facets, but envelops the palate, curious to grasp its myriad nuances.

The Vendemmia d’Artista project took root from this inspiration to celebrate the unique character of every season on a yearly basis. Some of these exquisite labels will be sold during the Sotheby’s online auction scheduled from 5th to 19th October 2022 before being delivered to lucky collectors. Since 2019, profits have been donated to The Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation to support the innovative Mind’s Eye program. 

Jamie Ritchie, Worldwide Head of Sotheby’s Wine, explains: Ornellaia’s Vendemmia d’Artista is a pioneering project, which involves the ensemble of wine and art to support charitable work. This October will be our 14th collaboration with the estate on this exceptional project. When we started this venture, we had no idea that it would lead to a multitude of charitable projects in the wine world. Our clients around the world always await with trepidation the opportunity to take part in the auction and to purchase unique bottles, knowing that they are supporting a noble cause that facilitates access to art for the blind and low-vision persons. The combination between the extraordinary wines from the estate and the visual brilliance of the participating artists has proven to be an irresistible pairing, which will be illustrated this year for the 2019 vintage, “Il Vigore”, with the designs of Nathalie Djurberg and Hans Berg.

The chosen artists based their work on the theme of metamorphosis, the cycles of nature and its transformation, as well as the relationship between humans and the Earth. These concepts are expressed in a project that evolves from the design developed for the 750 ml and 3-litre labels to sculptures for the large 6-litre and 9-litre formats.

The finger, depicted on the 750ml label, which leaves a print on the Earth, is a fine representation of the wine, which sparks curiosity and a desire to reveal itself gradually before leaving a tangible impression in a lingering tasting experience. In the glass, connoisseurs discover the energy that nature gives to plants and humans, but in particular to the region that expresses itself as lifeblood: the lifeblood of Il Vigore.

The estate’s winemaker Olga Fusari describes Ornellaia 2019 as a wine “having a deep ruby red colour, with a rich bouquet of intriguing spiced and balsamic notes, including black pepper, sage and herbal aromas. The wine is full bodied and vibrant in the mouth, filling the palate with its dense and elegant tannins, and ends with an enduring and wonderfully refreshing finish”. 

The amounts collected through the Vendemmia d’Artista project enables the programme’s expansion to all museums in the Guggenheim constellation (New York, Venice, Bilbao). “Ornellaia’s generosity has provided for the expansion of Mind’s Eye, connecting participants across the globe through virtual programs,” said Richard Armstrong, Director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation. “Our learnings over the past three years have enabled the Guggenheim to increase accessibility to both place and to works of art through multisensory exploration.  We are grateful for the ongoing support of Ornellaia.”

Giovanni Geddes da Filicaja, CEO of Ornellaia estate, is also delighted to state that: “Since the introduction of Vendemmia d’Artista in 2009, we have donated more than 2 million dollars to art charity. It’s immensely rewarding to see the project grow internationally and to know that the work we are doing gives the possibility for the blind and low-vision people to discover contemporary art by using the senses.”