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Where does "Wilkie" come from?
Wilkie is
Why art?
Who makes the wine?
Who's the artist behind the paintings?
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What is Wilkie Wines?
There are two important parts to Wilkie Wines outside of the wine itself. The main reason for both of them is for me to feel like it’s not just me doing the whole thing and that the wine is connected to my family and for my family to feel a connection with the wine. One is the art and one is the name.
The name came from my Grandma but it’s become a family name as the first cousin from our generation to have a baby recently named their daughter Wilkie. I wanted the name to have a connection to family without being my last name. I wanted this connection becuase, although I love what I do and my biggest fear is that it will end for some reason, it can be quite a lonely pursuit at times. There are lots of late nights and early mornings at the winery, completely alone. When I see the name Wilkie Wines it reminds me of my mum and her mum Wilkie and my family and makes me feel a sense of purpose and gives me a reminder of the support I have. I think also because of the name my whole family feels a sense of connection to the wines and it has brought me closer with my aunties and uncles because I know they appreciate the use of the name.
The second is the art. My cousin Kate, who also shares the connection with the name Wilkie, is a painter who also lives in Melbourne. She’s an up and coming artist and it was such an obvious choice to work with her. I love her work and I thought it would be an opportunity to get her art out there into the world because I think it’s really special. I also grew up in a house that was always filled with art. My dad is quite a traditional Australian farmer in that he’s quite bloky, he’s no fuss, he doesn’t like music but he loves art. Every centimeter of every wall in his house is always covered in art. So when I see the art I think of my Dad. Every label draws on something important for Kate or myself and holds a memory or meaning for us.
In this way, the labels make me feel connected to my family and make it feel possible to do it all myself because it’s a reminder of the support that I have. When I look at the labels I see my family. This gives me a connection to the wine, which I hope you can get a sense of when you drink it.
- for a connection to my family and for my family to feel connected to the wine
- solo winemaking can be a lonely pursuit
-the name, mum’s side, bringing us all closer together
- art, dad - all of the walls covered with art and quite abstract, eccentric art
- the labels make me feel connected to my family and even more connected to the wine, so I hope you enjoy it