VA Senators Celebrate Washington's Birthday With A Drink

A. Guy Studio's George Washington Whiskey design featured in the Virginia Senate!

Story below is from the AP news service.

"RICHMOND, Va., (AP) -- How better to mark the birthday of George Washington than with a taste of All-American whiskey?  Sunday was Washington's 227th birthday.  Members of the Virginia Senate found green keepsake boxes left on their desks, containing a single, 1.7 ounce bottle with a blend of 11 major brands of American whiskeys.

Each box, courtesy of Historic Mount Vernon and the Distilled Spirits Council of the the United States, also contained a shot glass.

The labels, as diverse as Tennessee's Jack Daniels, Missouri's Platte Valley and home-state Virginia Gentleman, were mingled, vatted, bottled and labeled at Mount Vernon, Washington's Virginia estate.

Strong drink in Richmond's corridors of power isn't new.  Presenting it on the Senate floor is rare.  Senator Ken Stolle of Virginia Beach said he has never seen the like in his 4 1/2 terms."

A. Guy Design wine entered in international competition

The "7" Port style Virginia wine, created by winemaker Matthieu Finot for King Family Vineyards and designed by A. Guy Studio, has been entered in the 2009 Lodi International Wine Awards.

This prestigious, world-wide wine competition, based in California, is judged by many well known vintners and premium goods designers, whose credentials can be viewed here:  http://www.lodiwineawards.com/judges.aspx

King Family Vineyards is active in the Virginia polo community and "7" refers to the "7th chukkar"-chukkar is a period in a polo match.  Polo has 6 chukkars and the "7th chukkar" is reserved for after match relaxation and enjoyment.

The name is also a reference to the exclusive 7 Society of the University of Virginia.  The King Family is a big supporter of U.V.A. and also has connections to the 7 Society, therefore, this product pays tribute to both institutions.

Falconwood White Table Wine Promotes Virginia Artists and Contributes to the Community

Philip Carter Winery of Virginia has created an on-going project, combining landscape art, civic pride and the art of wine making.

Each year, a Virginian artist will be chosen to create a painting that will be featured on a Falconwood label.  The scene must be of  the northern Virginia Piedmont.  To quote winery owner Philip Carter Strother, "Through this label...the winery honors the people of Virginia's northern Piedmont, whose unique culture, defined by it's historic, rural landscape, is fondly referred to as America's Hallowed Ground."

The artist's information will be featured on the wine's back label and the original painting hung in Cleve Hall, at Philip Carter winery.

With community in mind, Philip Carter Winery of Virginia will give one dollar from each bottle sold to it's designated community charity, the Leeds Ruritan Club, in Fauquier County.  Some of these funds will be used to protect the local landscape.

This years painting, an oil on canvas by Andrei Kushnir, is called "Evening in the Valley" and is a view of the Carter-Strother family's historic Valley View Farm near Paris, Virginia.  

It was an honor for me to be asked to design the packaging and branding for Falconwood, as this wine promotes and features local artistic talent and contributes generously to charity.

www.pcwinery.com

A Guy Oil Painting Raises Money for Wetland Conservancy

At a recent Ducks Unlimited dinner/auction event, held in Old Town Manassas, Virginia, an Allan Guy oil painting of Crooked Run Valley went for top dollar, raising much needed funds to help preserve local wetlands.

Ducks Unlimited is a premier organization in terms of preserving wetlands nationally and internationally. The Manassas chapter of DU is a top fund raiser in the VA Commonwealth. Artwork of all types are high ticket auction items, raising funds for this worthy cause.

In this case, A. Guy Studio's oil painting was done on prepared Molvin d' Arches 100% cotton rag, cold pressed watercolor paper. It shows the view from a hillock on Valley View Farm, overlooking the headwaters of Crooked Run Valley, on the eastern slope of the Blue Ridge Mountains, near Paris, Virginia. The farm is owned by the Carter-Strother family, of Philip Carter Winery, who generously donated to this event in many ways.

The painting was purchased by, and is in the art collection of, Councilman Wallace Covington, of Prince William County, Virginia.

Prince William Ducks Unlimited Event February 6th, 2009

Every year, the sportsman of Prince WIlliam County/Manassas City get together for a fine dinner and auction to benefit Ducks Unlimited. I am proud to be associated with this chapter of DU.

If you don't know of DU, they are quite an old conservation group, dedicated to preserving our nations wetlands, though Ducks does conservation work abroad, as well.

Early on, duck hunters found that the habitat needed for waterfowl was rapidly eroding and so sought to band together, saving these delicate, all-important environments for posterity.

Later, people who did not hunt, but were fishermen, crabbers, watermen, oystermen, or folks who just wanted to preserve nature for animals of all types, became involved in this organization.

Today, Ducks Unlimited is the nations largest preservation society of it's kind, bar none.

All types of environments have the benefit of DU's attention, including "pothole ponds" of the prairies, riversides ripped apart by modern construction, wetlands along our nations shores and bays (often due to over-development, for such things as retirement golf courses, which deposit vast amounts of chemicals directly into sensitive marshlands)...these all are "rehabilitated" by Ducks Unlimited...and more.

So, if you are in the area, tickets are available for our Virginia fund raising event. A wonderful dinner is serves, a bar with fine wines and liquors is available, and auctions (everything from shotguns to oil paintings and all sort of stuff in between) and raffles of all sort make for a good time.

We even sponsor scholarships for young people to go to school to learn about environmental management...your ticket fee will go directly for a very good series of causes.

Contact Chip & Nancy Rohr: (703) 368-3000‎
Location: Portuguese Club, 9509 West Lee Avenue, Manassas, Va 20110
Doors open at 6:00 P.M.

New Wild Scotsman Mini Bottle Created

Wild Scotsman Whisky, distilled by The House of MacDuff in Linwood, Scotland and blended by Jeffery Topping (THE "Wild Scotsman") now has a mini bottle to extend it's product line.

A blend of top quality single malt casks, this mini offering contains a design translation of the new labeling, produced recently by A. Guy Studio for their 750 Ml. products.

Featuring a red, dragon-like "WS script in the background, Celtic knotwork patterns, a Scottish buckler-shield as a crest and a brand new, recognisable logo based on an ancient Columncille type form, this packaging has elevated the general livery of this brand.

Look for this mini (and the 750 size) at stores near you or contact Jeffery directly at www.wildscotsman.com!

"Rugby Red" wine designed for UVA Rugby Club

The acclaimed French winemaker, Matthieu Finot, who is also an avid rugby player, created a red wine vintage to raise money for the University of Virginia Rugby Club. A blend of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Tannat, this wine is a hearty, well balanced offering.

Sales of "Rugby Red" will help keep the UVA Rugby Team going...established in 1961, this team is the oldest rugby club below the Mason-Dixon line. Players invloved in this club come not only from the South, but also from France, Australia, England, Ireland and South Africa. It was a privilege to design a wine for such a diverse group.

Matthieu (we just, with sincere kindness, call him "Frenchy") not only created this fine wine but also contributed to the labeling design. And he looks forward to kicking (mostly English) butt on the rugby field, so he is not just your average winemaker!