The unique trajectory of Valentino Monticello’s fascinating life story is far beyond the 1-min read parameters of this blog, but here’s a glimpse. Monticello (1933 Piovene Rocchette, Italy - 2014 London, UK) grew up near Vicenze, Italy, in a world of wine, food, art and music.

His gifts for line and composition were evident from an early age. At 11, he won first prize in a portrait competition and by 14 he was designing posters and labels for Distillery S. Giorgio of Bassano del Grappa. He moved to London in his twenties, finding work as a sommelier at Club 21 and eventually becoming the Head Sommelier at the legendary Harry's Bar in London. Suffice it to say that many years later, when the Queen Mother learned he was retiring, she shook his hand as a show of respect.

Throughout his career as a sommelier, Monticello continued his art practice, working in oils before transitioning to intricate and often whimsical collages comprised of hand cut wine labels. He achieved amazingly detailed compositions with cut-outs alone, without any drawn lines. In his words:

All of my pictures are composed of shapes carefully cut from wine labels: the people, the flowers, even the lines, are carefully cut from different wine labels. There is no drawing or painting involved at all.

Given Monticello’s unique access to the best wine houses around the world, some of the labels in his compositions are the stuff of legend. For example, the extraordinary interior of Harry’s Bar (below) is comprised of Petrus 1971, Puligny Montrachet, and Khug 1982 amongst others.

A charismatic and generous man, Monticello also had a lovely sense of humour. Look carefully at the details of Portrait (below), composed of cut-outs from Gavi Bersano Moscato D’Asti labels.

There is so much more about Valentino Monticello’s extraordinary life and art, including his unique opera series depicting entire opera scenes from wine label cut-outs sourced solely from wines produced in the region in which the story plot is set, such as the scene from Ariadne and Naxos (below) - set in Greece and made solely from Greek wine labels.

The opera series, which warrants a separate blog, is the subject of a wonderful book authored by Valentino Monticello and Luciano Citeroni, titled Opera & Wine - Wine in Opera - a must for all who love art, wine, and music.

There is much more about Valentino Monticello and his art on the official website and IG account run by his daughter, Claudia Monticello: http://www.theartofvalentino.com; IG @valentinomonticello

And on this note, We Wish You a Merry Christmas!