Modern Eco-Friendly Walnut Wood Puzzle Tray Signed Limited Edition From Materious, Chicago

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Newton Vineyard Puzzle Tray By artists Stephanie Tharp and Bruce Tharp, PhD
Modern Eco-Friendly Walnut Wood Puzzle Tray Signed Limited … Read more Newton Vineyard Puzzle Tray By artists Stephanie Tharp and Bruce Tharp, PhD
Modern Eco-Friendly Walnut Wood Puzzle Tray Signed Limited Edition

The Puzzle Tray is the result of a commission by Moet-Hennessy and Newton Vineyard in Napa Valley, CA. to design and fabricate a limited-edition, environmentally-sensitive wine tray for their 2012 Eco-Chic program. Made of FSC-certified, quartersawn walnut, low-VOC wood glue, and finished with mineral oil, the tray reflects the ethos and aesthetic of the 30-plus year-old Napa Valley winery. Founded by a British and Chinese couple, the tray reflects the estate’s East and West architectural elements by bounding an Asian motif of intersecting lines within a golden rectangle. The spaces created by the lines represent the 112 separate vineyard ‘blocks’ where five different grape varietals are grown. The terraced landscape is reflected in the contours of the removable coasters/plates. Just as the winery’s Chardonnay caves offer subterranean storage, a corkscrew is stored ‘below grade’ in the tray’s foot. And Newton’s icon wine is called “The Puzzle” and this is obviously referenced with removable coasters/plates that create a fun interaction for users.

Each year Newton selects one artist (or artist partners as with Stepahanie and Bruce, owners of Materious in Chicago) to join the winemakers for a few days at their Spring Mountain winery in Napa Valley to get a feel for the winery and see what inspiration they find from the Newton story, its sprawling 560 acre mountain top property, and the commitment to sustainability with functionality the winery has had since they started in the late 1970’s.

Inspiration was The Puzzle Wine sourced from 112 vineyard blocks from the Newton estate vineyards in the Spring Mountain District of Napa Valley.

The terraced vineyards, 112 individual vineyard blocks, biodiversity, terrain of Spring Mountain, and Asian influences seen throughout the winery and blending of East and West inspired by the Chinese and British heritage of founders Dr. Su Hua and Peter Newton inspired the Tharps created the eco-friendly tray made from Certified Walnut Wood and made in the shape of a “golden rectangle” representing harmony and proportion in the Western culture. The top of the tray is filled with intersecting asymmetrical lines symbolizing a historic Asian motif which creates negative spaces, reflecting the various vineyard blocks throughout the property.  Keeping functionality in mind with design, individual coasters can be lifted out of the space between these lines to be used for snacks.

A hidden compartment under one of these coasters even holds a corkscrew, symbolizing the hidden Chardonnay cave under the garden.  Though the piece is also the name of the prized wine of Newton Vineyards, The Puzzle, the name really came from their daughter who looked at a disassembled tray and said she wanted to put the puzzle pieces back together.  Only 112 trays were made as well, symbolizing the 112 vineyard blocks. See less