Something you might’ve missed, if you’re not a regular wine drinker or wine lover: The most recent Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau — released every year on the third Thursday in November, in accordance with French law — had a Nashville connection. Artist and Nashville native Chloé Meyer’s painting, “Foolish Pleasure,” was printed on the bottles (more than a million of them, to be specific).
Our talented neighbor was chosen via the now-annual Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition, which invites artists to submit original art, which is then voted on by Beaujolais drinkers and lovers worldwide through social media. Meyer’s vibrant, playful oil painting got more than 7,000 votes in last year’s competition, which made her a clear winner, and landed her work on the 2018 Beaujolais Nouveau bottle label, in stores across the globe.
What are the chances that a Nashville artist might clinch the Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau label two years in a row? We’re not in a position to calculate, exactly, but it’s just about time to see if it’s possible: The 2019 Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Contest opens for submissions starting on Friday, March 1, 2019.
How to submit art for the Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition
If you’re a Nashville artist with a love of wine, the Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition might be worth jumping in on — and it’s simple to do so.
Once submissions open March 1, you’ll be able to upload your work via the Beaujolais Nouveau Artist Label Competition website, nouveaulabelcontest.com, or send your entry via email to nouveaulabelcontest@gmail.com (subject line: “Nouveau Label Contest”).
A little creative guidance from the site:
“Submissions must be original pieces of artwork that reflect the qualities of Beaujolais Nouveau – bright, celebratory, fresh. All submissions must have elements that relate to the themes of celebration, harvest, festivity, and vibrancy.”
Website visitors will vote on submissions, and those votes, along with the opinions of a panel of experts, will help narrow things down to a top 10. The final 10 pieces are posted on Georges Duboeuf’s social media pages for more voting, from April 16 to 27, 2019.
The winning artist (i.e. the top social vote-grabber) earns a $3,500 grant, and wide distribution of their work to wine lovers everywhere.
‘The greatest accolade’
Beaujolais Nouveau releases are a major celebration in food and wine circles — the young, easy-drinking wines are called the “first wine of the harvest,” and each year, oenophiles are eager to see what unique traits that most recent harvest has delivered.
For years, a new artist-designed label has been unveiled with the new Georges Duboeuf Beaujolais Nouveau release, but in 2017, the contest launched, opening the opportunity to a broader mix of artists, from Paris, France, to Paris, Tennessee.
Chloé Meyer called the honor of having her work placed on Beaujolais Nouveau 2018 bottles “the greatest accolade in my career,” and celebrated the wine’s release here at home, with a party at Nicky’s Coal Fired in The Nations. She was also invited to add a 20-foot mural there, which still welcomes diners with bright and appropriately wine-y swirls of color. (Learn more about Nashville artist Chloé Meyer and her work at chloemeyer.com.)
Considering submitting your work to give Nashville a chance at a repeat? Learn more at nouveaulabelcontest.com. And please tag @acrestate on Instagram so we know to go vote for you — as wine lovers and Nashvillians, we’d love to see another local win in the wine world.
If you’re not a Nashville artist, but you are a prospective Nashville homeowner, that’s something we can help with too. Explore some Nashville homes on the market now, and contact ACRE with any questions you might have about buying or selling a home in the Nashville area.