OlssønBarbieri embrace restriction in their thoughtful identity for vineyard Château Picoron

Challenging the prestigious Bordeaux winemaking region’s tradition, Oslovian design studio OlssønBarbieri have developed a playful identity for organic vineyard and winemaker Château Picoron. Representative of a ‘New Bordeaux,’ the winemaker seeks to take on the snobbery and self-imposed regulations that are both excluding wine from a younger generation of drinkers and putting the future of the region’s Merlot produce at risk. Playfully taking on the challenge, OlssønBarbieri’s identity and bottle design for Château Picoron makes reference to Bordeaux and Merlot’s storied pasts, whilst firmly cementing them as future-focused. This becomes prominent in the naming of the Château, as well as the subsequent illustrations made in response. With the name Merlot coming from the story of local blackbirds – ‘Merle’ – feeding on the original Merlot grape, OlssønBarbieri opted for ‘Picoron’ due to its historic origin. Meaning ‘to peck,’ the name references both the blackbirds and those drinking the wine; not only strengthening the wine’s link to the region but also birthing the Château’s blackbird mascot. Collaborating with French artist Jochen Gerner, OlssønBarbieri elegantly crafted the vineyard’s Blackbird alongside a range of other informative and fun illustrations. “We chose Jochen for his clean yet playful and timeless style,” Co-Founder Henrik Olssøn tells us, “we also felt that his drawings capture a certain Frenchness while being inclusive and fun,” he adds.