Kathy Charlton, Owner Media Contact: Deborah Anastasi Black
Olympic Cellars 360/895-4320
(360) 452-0160 206/799-4233 Cell
(360) 808-0206 Cell deborahblack@wavecable.com
Press Release
for immediate release
Olympic Cellars’ Working Girl® wine label honored in
Seattle Homes & Lifestyles’ Design 100
Port Angeles, Wash., Jan. 23, 2006 – Seattle Homes & Lifestyles magazine has selected Olympic Cellars’ Working Girl® White wine label as one of the 100 People, Places and Things that Define Seattle Design. The magazine’s staff and contributors found the laid-back “vintage contemporary” caricature of a woman relaxing with a glass of wine after a long day in pantyhose and pumps to exemplify a style that is “distinctly Northwest,” and to serve as an innovative example of how Washington wine labels are leading in design. Working Girl White is the first in a series of Working Girl wine labels created for Olympic Cellars in 2003 by artist Stephanie Mallon, formerly of Port Angeles.
Inspired by the strong character and sassy “can do” attitude of the winery’s owner, Kathy Charlton, Mallon intended the label to reflect both Charlton’s personality and the crisp, easy-drinking, no-nonsense character of Working Girl White wine.
“I spent some time working the tasting bar at Olympic Cellars, and had the opportunity to see Kathy Charlton in action,” says Mallon. “She was working hard to take the winery in a new direction and wanted her wines to make an impact. When Kathy asked me to design the labels for her Working Girl series of wines, my intention was to create something that would convey the styles of the women who operated the winery, represent the various wines, and establish a strong brand image for Olympic Cellars. (See Attached)
Other wines in the Working Girl series sporting Mallon-designed labels include Go Girl Red, Rosé the Riveter and Handyman Red.
“The label is often the driving force behind a person’s decision to purchase a new wine at the grocery store,” says Charlton. “What’s inside the bottle keeps them coming back. The lady gracing the front of bottles of our Working Girl White wine is someone most women can relate to, and we hope that she inspires others to pick-up a bottle for relaxing and sharing with friends and family after a busy workday.”
“We’re really proud of all of Stephanie’s label designs,” adds Charlton, “and are so pleased that Seattle Homes & Lifestyles has chosen to honor her artwork as exemplary of “Seattle Design.”
The Design 100 can be viewed in its entirety in the January/February 2006 issue of Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, on shelves now. The list highlights area leaders and innovators in disciplines as diverse as landscape architecture, glass art, tableware design and restaurants.
Olympic Cellars will pour its Working Girl White wine at a private reception for Design 100 honorees on Wednesday, Jan. 25. The event, hosted by Seattle Homes & Lifestyles, will be held at Winston Wächter Fine Art in Seattle.
About Stephanie Mallon
Stephanie Mallon is a freelance designer and the proprietor of Watermallon Studios (www.watermallon.com). Her character-driven illustrations can be found on greeting cards, wine labels and numerous other media. Current projects include custom-designed stationary products and design work for a manufacturer of dinnerware. A native of Long Beach, Calif., Mallon holds an art degree from California State University, Long Beach, and studied animation at the Animation Academy in Burbank, Calif.
About Olympic Cellars
Olympic Cellars is a boutique winery housed in an historic century-old barn between Port Angeles and Sequim on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula. The winery annually produces approximately 3,200 cases of hand-crafted wines on site, including the premium La Dolce Vida label, the Working Girl® series, and the Dungeness artist series. Olympic Cellars is strongly committed to supporting the physical and emotional well-being of women through its Charity of Choice and 2X Success initiatives. Find out more about Olympic Cellars and its upcoming events by visiting the winery’s website at www.olympiccellars.com, or by calling 360-452-0160. Also visit the new Working Girl™ website, www.workinggirlwines.com, for information pertaining specifically to the Working Girl series of wines and associated philanthropic programs.
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