Sparkling Winemakers and their Artwork – Michael Reiterer

During my travels exploring the many fine winemakers across Europe and beyond, on a few occasions, I have stumbled across those who not only practice great skills of art in the making of wine, but also an equal passion for art in other forms. I have seen whole studios dedicated to creating wonderful artwork to those who spend their very few spare hours on applying their focus on producing amazing visual displays at home.

In this new series, we wanted to communicate with some of our award winning winemakers that we know have a passion for producing artwork too – We’re starting things off with a visit to the southern Tyrol of Italy and Michael Reiterer who is the winemaker at Arunda Winery.

 

Michael is a good friend of ours and he is also a very popular chap to meet on social media, especially Facebook, where you will find him sharing his love about the amazing region of the southern Tyrol, his wines, his passion for cooking and of course his art.

“We, the sparkling wine producers, put so much love, passion, history in to making a glass of finest bubbly… ” – Michael Reiterer

 

We asked Michael some questions:

Q: Do you believe winemaking is an art in itself?

The wine is a long history art product with a special story. There is something very special about sparkling wine which we had the beginnings in Champagne, a determined region in France, where the Monks within the monastery invented the process about the second fermentation. We, the sparkling wine producers put so much love, passion, history into making a glass of finest bubbly, in a glass, you will find all the fine temperament, all our experience, all the artworks in the vineyard.

Producing sparkling wine is sometimes like cooking, you try to perfect the best meals with great ingredients – like special bubbles, they are produced with the heart. Heartfelt and peaceful together with the combination of soul – heart is also attractive for producing some magic bubbles. I hope that you can understand this. (Well Michael, I have done my best to translate your passion you are trying to share with us all!)

 

Q: How do you find time to be producing two forms of art?

I am coming from the kitchen art sector. Especially as from a child my life holds much history and my roots give me different talents.

I was always interested in many things, like music, art, good food and painting. I am really proud of where I am as a person, where my family gave me a lot of interesting possibilities and opportunities so that slowly I started to begin to learn more about my inner self. Like any special person, I am steered to not do what everyone else is doing. The doing of life is really important for me, also the failures which form my experience and knowledge.

I have great travel experiences so that my mind is an open source, I feel that I am a person of quite a few surprises. This shows in my travels to the USA for business when in my head was born the idea of ‘Magic Bubbles’. This phrase, magic bubbles, is not so much just words, it means a life / work balance, it means magical experiences – I wish to share the experience of our sparkling wine production, the magic of the bubbles and my artwork is there so people can imagine what this experience is like in their minds. My artwork contains messages such a ‘life is good’ so they can read this when their life is going well or pick themselves up when it is not. I use the word magic a lot for I see it going together with bubbles in that it creates celebrations, good times, it pairs with fine foods, it helps us to bond with others, it creates a warm community and makes new friends. Bubbles are usually very fine and make small and precise movements (in the glass), these movements are magical bubble movements to me.

 

Q: What message are you trying to share with the artwork?

Love – Peace – Community -Life

Life is great and good. Humanity, happiness, black red and white. That all people have the chance to be and do something good in life.

Artwork, I want people to find the possibility to think about the art, that someone sees their own life in the picture, that the pictures are unique and are milestones for the people. I want for people to remember the paintings I do, the goodness they hold and the great bubbles.

Q: What does art mean to you?

I think that this is a difficult question about the meaning of art. Difficult because art is a unique meaning to each of us. Maybe my art is unique, I share a crazy style with different elements.

 

Well Michael, thank you for your words which, as I read through them, created a lot of positivism and also showed how much indeed winemaking is an art form itself and by adding bubbles we create that little bit more magic!

You can buy Michaels’ art directly at the Arunda Winery where many are on display and also you can send Michael an email [email protected], he can ship to any destination. Michael is also on Facebook where you can chat with him directly and he can discuss his art and which items you are interested in.