Category: Dog Art Wine

The Mutt Lynch Dog Days are Here!

Leeroy with Leeroy

I am so excited. The Dog Days of Summer are finally here. Technically the Dog Days refer to the sultry weeks between July 24 and August 24 when the Ancient Greeks spotted Sirius, the dog star, in the night sky. But for dog art and wine lovers, it means Sonoma County’s Mutt Lynch Winery welcomes guests and their dogs to their annual meandering open house. This years it’s this weekend August 8 and 9, 2009.

As regular readers know, Dog Art Today collaborated with Mutt Lynch owners Chris and Brenda Lynch in a dog art wine label contest to find the artwork that would grace the label of their new, exclusive Meritage. Canadian artist, Kellie Oliphant-Burns, was the winner with her entry Leeroy Out Loud! inspired by her Greyhound, Leeroy (both seen above).

This Saturday, August 8 at 12 pm, Kellie and I will be there with Chris and Brenda Lynch and label designer, Rae Huestis, to introduce the Leeroy Out Loud! label and wine. There will be lots of other dog-theamed award winning wine, (congratulations, Chris andn Brenda, on your latest gold medals), treats for dogs and humans (I must especially thank Kara Haspel Lind for donating her incredible Kara’s Cupcakes — truly the best), and dog art for sale, all benefitting the Healdsburg Animal Shelter of Sonoma County. Tickets are $10.

Kara’s Cupcakes are the best I have ever tasted…seriously.

Also, fine art photographer Jesse Freidin will be there taking Polaroids of your dog for a $10 sitting fee, also benefitting HAS. Jesse was recently featured on In Circle Pets, where he discusses his hands on approach towards photography, as in film and a dark room — how novel.

Pug by Jesse Freidin

Darby and I will be there from 11:30 until 3:30 on Saturday August 8, and we would love to meet you. Please come by and celebrate the summer with your pup. I think it’s going to be a magical day.

Information:

Dates: Saturday and Sunday August 8th and 9th
Time: 11am to 5pm
Tickets at the door: $10 human admission, dogs get in free!

New winery location: 602 Limerick Lane, Healdsburg, CA 95448.

August 2, 2009
Canines & Wines at HALL Wines

Burma sniffing the grapes.

Sue at Woof Report wanted to make sure everyone knows about the 1st annual Canines & Wines event that Woof Report is hosting in collaboration with HALL Wines of St. Helena, CA this Sunday, August 2 from 11 am – 4 pm.

Admission is $20, but only $15 if you are a Woof Report subscriber. Dogs are free. 20% of all
wine sales will benefit the Napa Humane Society. The day will include a select artisan wines, dog treats, dog facials, photo shoots courtesy of Fetch Foto, and more.

Unfortunately, Darby and I will not be able to attend since we will be heading to Wine Country the next weekend for Mutt Lynch's Dog Days of Summer event (more on that next week). But if you're in the area, and love dogs and wine, think about attending both. Drinking wine with your dog in a vineyard for a good cause never gets old.

Click here for more information.

July 30, 2009
Kellie Oliphant-Burns Wins Wine Label Contest!

Leeroy Out Loud!

After careful deliberation, Rae Huestis, Brenda Lynch, and I chose Kellie Oliphant-Burns’s painting of her Italian Greyhound, entitled Leeroy Out Loud!, as this year’s winner of The Mutt Lynch – Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest.

I will be writing a feature on Kellie next month, but be sure to see more of her work at Doodle Dog Paintings.

The Leeroy Out Loud! wine label designed by Rae Huestits will will debut on the exclusive Meritage at a 12:00 pm press
conference on August 8, 2009 at Mutt Lynch Winery’s Dog Days of Summer
event in Healdsburg, CA. Only 500 bottles of this rare Leeroy Out Loud! wine will be released. Please come and help us celebrate dogs, wine, and
art benefiting the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Tickets are $10. Click here for more information.

Congratulations, Kellie! And thank you again to all the artists and voters who participated. We plan to to it again next year.

Thank you – Moira McLaughlin

P.S. Please share any feedback about the contest…what you liked, what you would change…in the comments section below.

June 22, 2009
Mutt Lynch – Dog Art Today Top 10 Wine Labels

Congratulations! The following wine labels now go to the finals. The winner will be selected by Brenda Lynch – winemaker/co-owner of Mutt Lynch Winery, Rae Huestis –
wine label designer, and Moira McLaughlin (me) – founder of Dog Art
Today, and announced here on Monday June 22. Thank you everyone who participated. And yes, we hope to do it all again next year!

1.) Vineyard Crew by Mylette Welch

2.) Leeroy Out Loud! by Kellie Oliphant-Burns

3.) Cheers by Maggie Crawford

4.) Frances by Cheralynn Johnston

5.) A Mellow Yellow by MarySue Krueger

6.) Boomerang by Jen Raynes

7.) Caber "NOSE" Merlot by Jennifer K. Keller

8.) Doggedly Faithful by Nikki Solone

9.) Bully Blend by Kristin Bowen

10.) Barcchus: The canine god of wine (after Caravaggio) by Christine Throckmorton

The wine with the winning label will debut at a 12:00 pm press conference on August 8, 2009 at Mutt Lynch Winery's Dog Days of Summer event in Healdsburg, CA. Only 500 bottles of this exclusive Meritage will be released. Please come and help us celebrate dogs, wine, and art benefiting the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Tickets are $10. Click here for more information.

June 20, 2009
Vote For Your Favorite Dog Art Wine Label This Week!

I am in awe of all your beautiful and ingenious entries for the Mutt Lynch – Dog Art Today Wine Label Contest. Thank you everyone for participating. The contest has blown past my wildest expectations.

Description of the wine that will have the winning label: a Dry Creek Valley Meritage, which is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and
Merlot that is aged in 100% French oak for 18 months. Only 500 bottles
of this rare and exclusive wine will be produced.

Click here to review all 51 wine labels and then cast your vote for your favorite. The top 10 artists with the most votes will go to the next round. Then, the winner will be selected from the finalists by judges Brenda Lynch – winemaker/co-owner of Mutt Lynch Winery, Rae Huestis – wine label designer, and Moira McLaughlin (me) – founder of Dog Art Today.

Voting runs until midnight PST, Friday, June 19, 2009.

The wine with the winning label will debut at The Dog Days of Summer event at Mutt Lynch Winery August 8, 2009. Proceeds benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Please come and bring your dogs.

photo credit: Vote Dog by Rebecca Collins.

June 15, 2009
Wine Label Contest Deadline Tonight at Midnight

You still have time to put the finishing touches on your Mutt Lynch-Dog Art Today wine label entry before the deadline tonight at midnight. Contest guidelines are here. Voting for the top 10 finalists will begin Monday June 15 and continue through Friday June 19. Remember to get your friends to vote for you.

The winning label will grace an exclusive new bottle of Meritage from Mutt Lynch Winery. The wine will debut at Mutt Lynch's annual Dog Days of Summer event, a day of wine, dogs, and dog art in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, CA on August 8, 2009 from 11 am to 5 pm. Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Healdbsurg Animal Shelter. Click here for more information. Dogs are welcome. Darby and I will be there and we would love to meet you and your pups.

Photo credit: Dog in Knutsen Vineyard, Willamette Valley, Oregon by Janis Miglavs.

June 12, 2009
Wine Label Contest Update

Exciting news! We have expanded the Dog Art Today – Mutt Lynch Winery Dog Art Label Contest to include Canadian artists. The submission deadline is June 12, 2009. We are already receiving entries and it is very exciting.

Also, even if you are not an artist, or you can not participate this year, the Dog Days of Summer event where the exclusive wine with the winning label will be introduced is shaping up as a terrific place to meet fellow dog bloggers and artists. Several Dog Art Today readers are planning to attend, and Darby and I will definitely be there. So think about coming. It is on August 8 and 9, 2009, in Healdsburg, Sonoma County, CA from 11am to 5pm. Tickets are $10 with proceeds going to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Dogs are welcome.

A day of dogs, art, and wine all for a good cause sounds like heaven to me. And I have never been to wine country before, so I really can't wait. If you know the area, dog-friendly travel tips are welcome.

Contest rules are here. Visit Mutt Lynch Winery for more information.

May 4, 2009
Dog Art Today – Mutt Lynch Winery Wine Label Contest Announced!

Dog Art Today and Mutt Lynch Winery, North America's Most renowned dog winery, have partnered to host the 2009 Dog Art Wine Label Contest. All artists are invited to submit one dog-and-wine-themed work of art. The winning entry will be made into a label for Mutt Lynch Winery's limited edition wine that will debut at the winery's Dog Days of Summer on August 8, 2009. This annual event includes wine tasting,
dog themed art, and vendor booths to benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. Dogs on
leash welcome.

The Wine Label Contest winner will receive one case of the rare and exclusive wine signed by winemaker Brenda Lynch, a featured spotlight on Dog Art Today, and an invitation to attend the Dog Days of Summer in Healdsburg, Sonoma County (travel and accommodations not included.)

Click here for contest rules and application to enter. Deadline for submissions is June 12, midnight, PST

April 21, 2009
Barkus Wine + Treat Event at Mutt Lynch Winery

Tempting news from Chris and Brenda Lynch, the dog loving, wine making couple who own Mutt Lynch Winery in Healdsburg, CA; on Saturday April 4, 2009, they are hosting a dog feast and wine tasting event to benefit the Healdsburg Animal Shelter. The event, inspired by Bacchus the Roman god of wine, is christened Barkus for the dog of wine. Admission is $10 and dogs are welcome for free.

The day sounds like the perfect blend of indulgence and altruism. Brenda, the company's winemaker, will be introducing her newest releases of her Good Dog Series wines that feature the charming, clever labels designed by Rae Huestis. They include:

Chateau d'Og Cabernet Sauvingnon

Merlot Over and Play Dead

Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel

Fou Fou Le Blanc Sauvignon Blanc

And while you indulge your pallet sampling the wines, your canine companion can enjoy gourmet treats such as Bowluga and Pate de Paw Gras from Dogs Uncorked.

Brenda hopes the day will be a "wine and treat tasting that causes both humans and canines to 'howl' with pleasure." All the admission proceeds and 10% of sales from the day will go to the Healdsburg Animal Shelter, a private non-profit animal welfare organization funded by the community where Chris is also one of the Board of Directors.

What an amazing opportunity to spend the day in the vineyard with your dog sipping wine and spoiling him with treats (the first 100 dogs will also get a gift bag from Molly's Pup-Purr-ee) while also helping animals in need. Arrrr-oooooo! I am howling already.

If you can't make it to Wine Country next month, click here to vising Mutt Lynch Winery and order some tail waggin' wines made by and for dog lovers today. They are offering 50% off ground shipping via UPS for the month of March as part of their Dogonomic Stimulus Package. Lovely!

Click here for more information about the Barkus event.

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March 18, 2009
Wine & Bitch Weekend at Paws Up Resort

To me "rustic elegance" is an oxymoron. But Paws Up, Dave and Nadine Lipson's Montana resort, makes me think it is possible for luxury and the wilderness to coexist in style. For dog lovers, the resort's Wine & Bitch weekend (November 14-16) looks like the perfect chance to experience this sylvan Shangri-La and see for yourselves.

The Cookshack (my kind of shack)

Accommodations (my kind of camping)

The Wine & Bitch Weekend will feature the following events:

Fashion show
Wellness seminar
Spa treatments

Dog parade

Hand-made dog treats
Gourmet human treats

Paws Up will also provide doggie bowls, a doggie bed, a collar and leash, a dog toy, and biodegradable pick-up bags.

Now, for the wine…Chris and Brenda Lynch will be pouring wines from their dog-friendly Mutt Lynch Winery on both nights. Friday evening is a ‘welcome’ wine tasting for all guests. And a Saturday will be a winemaker dinner featuring their current releases; 2006 Unleashed Chardonnay, 2006 Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel, 2006 Merlot Over and Play Dead, and their very limited production, single vineyard Canis Major wines (the BIG DOGS, as Chris calls them).

Portrait of a Mutt 2006 Zinfandel

The resort also offers endless activities for two and four legged guests including fly-fishing in the famed Blackfoot River, snowmobiling, equestrian excursions, mountain biking, guided wilderness adventures, sleigh rides and cross country skiing.

My favorite activity would be a trip to Spa Town, a tent city on the edge of a meadow devoted to relaxation.

Meet me at Spa Town

The Blackfoot River made famous by Norman Maclean's A River Runs Through It and Brad Pitt

The resort also boasts two 5-star restaurants, and PUGS, the Paws Up General Store, offering Montana-made luxury goods and Paws Up apparel.

The Lipsons originally named their resort Paws Up for the wild excitement of their dogs pawing the air to greet visitors, and 10 years later they seem as committed as ever to maintaining that excitement, offering guests and their dogs a magical retreat where everyone feels like a pampered pup for as long as they choose to stay. Perfect!

Hurry. I'm late for my massage!

To make a reservation for the Wine & Bitch Weekend at Paws Up visit their website.

September 17, 2008