Alexandra Grant says her life might have remained creative even if she had never become an artist.
In a new interview with PEOPLE magazine, Grant said she likely would have become a winemaker if her career had taken a different path. She revealed her answer during the Los Angeles launch of her new release, LOVE Wine, created in collaboration with J Vineyards & Winery and as part of the grantLOVE project.
Grant's work draws on visual art, books, language, and philanthropy. Her answer pointed to another realm where skill, patience, collaboration, and location shape the final result.
Grant's interest in wine began in Paris.
Grant told PEOPLE that her interest in wine began when she was 12 years old and living in Paris with her mother, whose diplomatic work brought them to the city for the summer.
She recalled strolling through Paris during the day and having dinner with her mother in the evening. One of her first restaurant visits introduced her to how wine can be part of food, conversation, and culture.
Childhood memories provide the LOVE Wine project with a personal starting point. Grant's connection with wine didn't begin with a celebrated partnership or brand launch; it began with travel, restaurants, and the sensory experiences that have stayed with her for a long time.
LOVE Wine combines art, winemaking and charity.
J Vineyards describes LOVE Wine as a limited-edition California Brut Cuvée sparkling wine created in collaboration with grantLOVE, Grant's art and design initiative. Estate director and head winemaker Nicole Hitchcock oversees the winemaking aspect of this collaboration.
The project is dedicated to women in winemaking and art. Each bottle of wine features a label designed by a female artist.
The first release of LOVE Wine featured artwork by Geneviève Gainard. The second release features labels designed by Sonoma-based graphic designer Blanca Molina, according to J Vineyards and a May 19 statement from the winery.
The new bottle highlights Blanca Molina's history in Sonoma.
The second LOVE Wine label is inspired by Molina's Mexican heritage and his California upbringing. An announcement on May 19th stated that the design references papel picado, Mexican tile work, embroidery, floral motifs, and regional imagery.
Molina was born in Guadalajara, Mexico, and moved to Sonoma County as a child. Her design background brings the bottle back to the region where the wine is produced, while simultaneously reflecting her family's visual language and cultural history.
Grant told PEOPLE that Molina "exceeded all expectations" with the label design.
Grant compared winemaking to painting.
Grant told PEOPLE that both art and winemaking involve experimentation and interaction with forces beyond the creator's control.
This comparison aptly captures the structure of the LOVE Wine project. The project goes beyond simply applying an artist's design to a bottle. It combines winemaking, visual design, philanthropy, and a rotating group of female artists.
Grant remains involved with the visual arts. Her website notes that she created the grantLOVE project and uses it to raise funds for arts nonprofits. In 2017, she also co-founded X Artists' Books, a Los Angeles-based publishing house specializing in artist-focused books.
Her collaboration with Keanu Reeves also began with writing books.
Image courtesy of Fred Duval / Shutterstock.
Grant's creative career spans not only visual art but also publishing. X Artists' Books was founded by Grant and Keanu Reeves as a small Los Angeles-based publishing house specializing in artist books and collaborations with other authors.
Grant and Reeves have collaborated on a book before. «Ode to Happiness» 2011, with Reeves writing the lyrics and Grant creating the illustrations.
Now, the wine project expands Grant's collaborative work into another realm. She's not abandoning art; she's using LOVE Wine to bring together artists, winemakers, and nonprofits through a bottle that represents more than just a label.