This bottle of wine is a Chateau Pipeau from 1995, which is the year I got married in France. It’s a “vin de garde,” which means you have to wait at least 10 years before you drink it.

In 2010, I became an American citizen, and to celebrate I decided to open the wine. Afterwards, I even kept the bottle because I wanted to paint it - the label was so beautiful, I couldn’t wait to try it. Well… Another 10 years went by before I finally got around to it. By this point, I have no recollection of what the wine tasted like (I’m sure you’re not surprised!).

I wanted to create the perfect setting for a “French wine degustation.” When you go to a winery, they keep it basic: a plate of raw milk cheese, walnuts, and fresh bread. In my house, it ended up being Vermont cheddar (not very french), crackers instead of bread (blasphemy!!), cranberries (not French at all!), and pickles (because I did not have cornichons!).

On second thought, maybe I’ll just have this painting NOT represent a french winery... It’ll just represent me, and who I became: a mutt, a mixture, and someone who took 20 years to get to this painting.