A Museum-Worthy Vintage

Hong Kong art collectors Allan and Mei Warburg have transformed their Sonoma winery into a world-class sculpture park

- Sarah Heller

Wine and art make for natural bedfellows. Think of the art labels pioneered by Château Mouton Rothschild at the end of the Second World War, when Baron Philippe began a tradition that has seen artists from Miró to Picasso to Jeff Koons paste images of their signature pieces to its bottles. Today, there are countless vineyard sculpture parks and wineries that double as galleries around the world, while the top champagne houses have practically become curators in their lavish support of ostentatious exhibitions.

Perhaps it’s idealistic to say that art and wine are both examples of humans striving to connect on a deeper level with the world around us. But as someone who has devoted much time and love to both subjects (before becoming a master of wine, I was a paint-splattered art major at Yale), I believe the bond is genuine. However, the sheer proliferation of projects in this space—too many of them superficial and mercenary— makes me wary whenever I hear about another “art-wine” concept.