Hebdo cartoonists designed wine labels

Three of the cartoonists killed in last week’s terrorist attack on French satirical weekly magazine Charlie Hebdo had also put their hands to wine labels.

As reported by the Wine Spectator, editor-in-chief Stéphane Charbonnier (Charb), Georges Wolinski and Bernard Verlhac (Tignous) had all designed wine labels.

Bordeaux producer Gérard Descrambe commissioned the cartoonists in the early ‘70s to create labels for his St. Emilion estate Château Barrail des Graves in a collaboration that lasted over 40 years. The resulting satirical artwork covered everything from drunkenness to sex.

“Their spirit was to laugh at everything and expose the biggest bullshit in the world. And they were killed by the biggest act of bullshit,” Descrambe told WS.

Over the years, the Charlie Hebdo trio joined the ranks of 18 other French cartoonists who created over 50 wine labels for the estate.

“It was always my philosophy to have fun with wine. There are too many people in Bordeaux who don’t know how to have fun with wine,” Descrambe told WS.

In 2008, Descrambe sold the estate, but he still produces around 3,300 cases a year of Bordeaux appellation wine under his Château Renaissance label, which also features the cartoons.

Descrambe will continue to use the Charlie Hebdo cartoonists’ artwork on his labels.