The Most Stunning Wine Labels In The World

These bottles deserve a standing ovation

All month long, we are paying homage to the mighty grape. Grab a glass and join us as we Wine Down.

Say you're browsing for wine but don't really know what you're looking for and don't feel like asking someone either. What do you do? You choose by the label. We've all been there, and as long as you're not picking based on whether or not you think the animal represented on the bottle is cute, we're not judging. Though some wineries prefer to keep it simple, others are working with artists to create custom, hand-drawn designs that tell a story—and we're all ears.

Here are 11 of the coolest wine labels we've spotted recently. 

Barrel + Ink

This unconventional company carries only a few varieties of wine in limited quantities that come from different vineyards around the world and connects winemakers with graphic designers to create memorable labels.

 

Palmetto Wine Co.

This label, created by creative agency Frame, puts a modern, detailed spin on the classic label.

Argyle Winery

Students from the Pacific Northwest College of Art created these designs, which are part of a special vintage brut series called The Art of Sparkling.

Small Talk Vineyards

If bottles could talk, these labels would carry the conversation.  

Tank Garage Winery

This California winery puts a lot of creativity into its labels, and when you have a wine called The Heavy, it's only fitting to print John L. Sullivan, the last heavyweight champion of bare-knuckle boxing, on the bottle. The Nothing Gold Can Stay Chardonnay is another eye-catching label created by graffiti artist T-KID (Julius Cavero), who's from the Bronx in New York.

 

La La Land Wines

This whimsical Alice in Wonderland-inspired label was created by Beetle Creative. The label wraps around the entire bottle to tell the story of the Mad Hatter and his band.

Motif Wine

This beautiful mosaic-like pattern is dizzying. We can't imagine what it looks like after you've finished the bottle. 

Rabble Wine Company

With gorgeous illustrations that look like they came straight out of a vintage children's book, every bottle from Rabble Wine tells a story. The labels for the Force of Nature wines double as a history lesson and represent Germany in the 15th and 16th centuries.  

Millbrook Vineyards & Winery

The artist of the 2014 Cabernet Franc label is the winner of the winery's Hudson Valley Artist Series Wine Label Contest. As a way to involve the community, Millbrook Winery hosts the Art in the Loft seasonal gallery exhibition, which showcases work from local artists and is open during the day so guests can browse the pieces after enjoying a wine tasting. Sounds like a pretty perfect afternoon to us.