‘The Palate Project’ is the result of an inspiring partnership between Oenologist Lefteris Mohianakis and Jewellery Designer Kristina Apostolou, which aims to visually portray the complexity and richness of colors, aromas and flavors found in Anama Vintage 2011, a special edition of a naturally sweet aged wine made from sundried grapes and produced in Cyprus (also known as ‘Commandaria’).
‘The Palate Project’ communicates the launch of the wine that, having aged for 34 months in new oak barrels, is composed of 2,027 bottles, hand-numbered on silver disks. It’s produced from the Cypriot grape varieties Mavro and Xinisteri, which compose the 120-year-old single vineyard of this family business based near Limassol in Cyprus. The family cultivates the vines, inspired by the old traditional wine-making process, originally mastered on the island over 5000 years ago.
A number of detailed tastings of the wine were carried out at various stages during the aging process, resulting in an in-depth break down of all the aromas and flavors that can be found in the wine. These were then color-sorted, resulting in five main color categories. A sequence of five carefully composed photographs/moodboards were put together, each one capturing a different essence of the wine palate. A variety of food props, Cypriot delicacies & conceptual pieces were used in order to achieve this. The five images are titled according to the color-theme : Almond White, Chilly Red, Cinnamon Brown, Smokey Brown & Ruby Red.
The designer was also inspired by The Palate Project for the packaging of the wine. Anama Vintage 2011 is available in three label-color variations, Chilly Red, Cinnamon Brown & Chocolate Mauve – the three main colors that can be identified in the wine.
