Claire Danthois Interprets Nature by Design

The oak tree carries the message of strength, endurance and is the national tree of the U.K. It’s fitting that British industrial designer Claire Danthois, who works with recycled woods has created “Re-inspired Elements” A Tasting Installation. Here is a piece for the mindful wine collector that is tied back to the source — the oak barrels where wine is processed.

Newton Vineyard, a Napa Valley-based company known for creative unfiltered and naturally fermented wines, commissioned Danthois to create the work. The piece is composed of a 6–foot tasting bar and repurposed oak barrels that were once used to make red wine and 300-year-old oak acquired from a local wine merchant in Bristol, England.

It took 112 individual oak segments representative of the Newton estate’s 112 distinct vineyard blocks. Newton’s mindful eco-practices are central to the theme. Nearly 80% of the 560 acres has been left in its native forested state to protect the natural habitats of indigenous wildlife.

The bar is made with glass shelves, a hanging rack for stemware, and spaces to store bottles. Danthoi has created five tasting bars including a traveling piece used for Newton events, bars in Tokyo and London, one on the St. Helena estate and one available fore purchase on the Newton site. We wonder what she would make of a car door?

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Tagged as: London, Napa, Newton Vineyard, United Kingdom, wine