Tinedo wines are one-of-a-kind. They come from a small, sustainable family vineyard in a region that is dominated by large industrial farms. More than anything else, however, they really stand out at first glance. Had the Zurich Dadaists designed wine labels, they would have probably turned out quite similar. However, the vintner Manuel Alvarez-Arenas, an admirer of contemporary art, is modest: «We don't consider our labels to be art. We simply think that the labels should be on par with the wine and represent them well.» In other words, an avant-garde wine? «We make groundbreaking wines that primarily try to give expression to the aroma of the grapes, and for this reason we make sure that not too much wood is used.» For the trained biologist, who for many years was a sustainability consultant, it is also important to assume a pioneering role with regard to environmental responsibility. He aims to make the farm climate-neutral. But back to the offbeat labels: The vintner himself contributed the pictures for the collage. He has been taking photos for many years now and has also had some published in photography magazines. In the beginning, many thought that designing these kinds of labels was not a good idea, that it would ruin his business. But Manuel is a descendant of Max, which means that he does what he thinks is right – regardless of how crazy it might seem to others. Regarding the parallels to Don Quixote, Manual says: «If we are too normal in our thinking, we limit our possibilities. Don Quixote was crazy, but it freed him of all social norms.» But does he think that the knight would have preferred the traditional Spanish labels with coats of arms? In any case, we're happy to be counted among the crazy ones!
