GIG HARBOR, Wash. - When you buy a high-end bottle of wine, you are usually paying for the expertly crafted liquid inside the vessel.
Now if the bottle has been in the hands of the artists at Fresh Northwest Design in Gig Harbor, Wash., that bottle could be just as much of a collector's item as its contents.
Scott Schoenen, owner of the engraving and hand-painting bottle company, takes pride in showcasing the hundreds of sample bottles his team has created. In fact, they line the shelves of the studio where they work.
There's the collection of Garfield cartoons etched and painted onto bottles for Hogue Cellars in Prosser, Wash., or the Toy Story characters that smile from a bottle created for the birthday celebration of a Pixar executive.
And then there's the 9-liter Woodinville, Wash.-based Page Cellars' Cabernet Sauvignon bottle with butterflies wrapping around the bottle and up the neck - one of the more challenging design techniques because artists aren't working on a flat surface.
"Everyone thinks the bottles are run through a machine," Schoenen said.
However, all of the work is custom, he said.
And the glass canvas for the paintings his company designs range from the standard 750-milliliter format to the primat - which contains 27 liters. That's one bottle holding the equivalent of three cases of wine.
"There's nothing I can't paint on (a bottle)," he said. "It's just a matter of space."
Fresh Northwest Design celebrated its 20th anniversary in January and continues to create specially designed bottles for wineries, charities, schools, company events, birthdays and anniversaries.
They create 7,000 to 10,000 bottles each year, but Schoenen said business has grown about 25 percent since he took over three years ago.
The attention to detail is what Pattie O'Leary, head of wine solicitation for the Beaux Art Société in Idaho, appreciates about Fresh Northwest Design creations.
"It's something people covet," she said. "People like to have a bottle of wine with artwork on it."
For the second year, Fresh Northwest Design is donating a 3-liter bottle for the society's gala in April, which raises money for the Boise Art Museum.
The bottle will be etched and painted this year with a piece of modern art. Both will be auctioned off together.
Last year's artwork and matching wine bottle combined for one of the top money-raising items in the auction, O'Leary said.
Having a blast
The nine employees at Fresh Northwest Design - and a dachshund, Baxter - make the artwork come to life. And they have a blast doing it.
Each is "cross-trained" or able to perform all the steps necessary in creating an etched, painted bottle from start to finish. That includes working up the design, sandblasting, airbrushing and hand painting.
"It's nice to have a combination of jobs," said Brent Johnson, who also is a glassblower. "It's kind of like art class all the time."
Lead painter Jody von Duering said, "The part I like is trying to figure out how we're going to do something."
Music plays in the background as the team works, each helping to complete a specific part of the bottles. The choice of soundtrack depends on whose day it is for dish duty. Tunes are as diverse as rap, classic rock and Frank Sinatra.
"Every once in a while, we all agree on a song," Johnson said as he used an airbrush to apply light yellow paint to a darkly colored bottle.
Sometimes they need to get creative in determining how to make designs come to life.
"Literally, Jody can mimic wood on a bottle," Schoenen said.
The use of atypical materials lends to the company's continued goal of producing increasingly unique and complex artwork. They've used lace as a stencil and Saran Wrap to produce a sponge-painting effect.
"Whatever we can find," von Duering said.
Some of the artists have proven backgrounds in art, but all enjoy artistic pursuits outside of work.
Kris Clare is a writer with a background in sandblasting. He also collaborates with operations manager Tyson Session on writing comedy.
"I like the fact that everybody's got an artistic talent outside of work," Schoenen said. "They bring that unique perspective back to work."
How it happens
The creative process for Fresh Northwest Design begins with the clients.
"We want them to be involved in the artistic process," Schoenen said.
The quality of work and rapid turnaround time compelled Kiley Evans, winemaker at Agate Ridge Vineyard in Eagle Point, Ore., to work with Fresh Northwest Design. But the relationship that has developed with Schoenen has turned him into a loyal customer, Evans said.
The artists' work "looked fantastic" and catches the eye, he said.
When wine producers opt to bottle in the 3-liter size or larger, they're choosing to set themselves apart from the 750-milliliter and even magnums.
"If you're going to do something like that, it really has to be done the right way," Evans said. "When people see those 3-liter (double magnum) bottles at restaurants, it has an impact. Nobody's used to seeing bottles of that size. Everybody takes notice."
The company engraves and paints mostly red wine bottles because red wine is "more highly valued and sought after," Schoenen said. "At the end of the day, it seems to be reds that people love."
Red bottles also make a better background because the dark color causes the designs to pop, Schoenen said. That dark backdrop can be used as a design element, too.
Clear bottles generally hold white wine, which presents more of a design challenge, but Schoenen anticipates increased demand for decorated white wine bottles in the future.
The tradition of creating Garfield bottles for Hogue Cellars got started nearly two decades ago when winery co-founder Gary Hogue met Garfield creator Jim Davis at a wine function in Florida. The two teamed up to create bottles sporting a Garfield cartoon for a charity auction in 1991.
After one bottle fetched $7,000, they decided to make it an annual tradition.
"We think that the etched bottle is a lot more classic," Hogue said. "There's no question that it will last for a long time… and become a collector's item."
The estimated 20 bottles given to charities each year have raised nearly $600,000, Hogue said.
"They simply look classy," he said.
It's not unusual for clients to bring ideas and work with Fresh Northwest Design artists to perfect them. Once the design is final, the company orders a mask, or a stencil that is used as a guide for sandblasting the design on the bottle. The mask is applied to the bottle, which is then covered in tape and sandblasted.
The artists generally work on empty bottles. They're lighter, and if one drops, there's less mess and heartache.
Next comes the paint. All of Fresh Northwest Design's colors are mixed by hand to make sure the hue is precise. And an extra bottle often gets made, just in case.
Working in three dimensions adds an extra challenge. Some bottles require three layers of etching to get the colors correctly applied.
"When you're working in 3-D rather than print, it's exponentially different," Schoenen said.
Some designs are complex enough that they require 100 percent hand painting. Others lend themselves to airbrushing, too. And sometimes one layer of paint has to dry - which can take up to 24 hours - before another can be applied.
Once bottles are finished and packaged up, the artists get the pleasure of watching them get shipped out. That offers a big dose of satisfaction, Session said.
"There are lots of high fives exchanged," Clare added.
Growing industry
Fresh Northwest Design also creates bottles for birthdays and anniversaries. Such a bottle, usually 3 liters and painted with gold leafing, generally costs $350 to $450.
But most of their business comes from regional wineries.
"A lot of what we do is about Pacific Northwest wines," Schoenen said. "That's really what we're doing - making it more beautiful and attractive."
Having a little fun in the process is important, too.
"What we produce makes people happy," Schoenen said. "It brings smiles to people's faces."
Even Garfield's.
Fresh Northwest design
915 26th Ave. NW
Gig Harbor, WA 98335
253-857-5305
freshnwdesign.com
Ingrid Stegemoeller covers the wine industry for the Tri-City Herald and is a frequent contributor to Wine Press Northwest.
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