DiGrazia Honey Blush

The Winery: DiGrazia’s is a small family owned winery and vineyard in Brookfield, Connecticut. Established in 1978 by Dr. Paul DiGrazia, it is Connecticut's 2nd oldest winery, and a product of the owner/wine maker's passion (he was also a practicing physician – see his bio here). https://www.thebeveragejournal.com/digrazia-vineyards-profile/

The Label: 

One of the companies that produced labels for DiGrazia was Blake Printery, who printed labels for a number of California wineries.

Judy Babcock was a graphic designer at Blake who was planning to retire. However, Dr. DiGrazia was able to coax her to work on a new label for one of his wines. Back before digital was the norm, printing labels for wine bottles was a labor-intensive process requiring several specialists combining to create artwork, plates, mechanicals, etc. It could take up to a month to create a label. 

Judy diligently worked with Dr. and Mrs. DiGrazia on a label featuring the mountain laurel, Connecticut’s state flower. Getting the colors right was challenging - "Four color separation" was required, referring to the traditional printing process used for comics and comic books, where images would be broken down into four different colors (cyan, magenta, yellow and black).

Honey Blush was first produced in 1988. This blend of honey and grapes is one of DiGrazia’s best-sellers and is often the first of their line to sell out. The wine has no additional sulfites which was a novelty at the time, but now has become commonplace.

If you happen to be in the neighborhood, stop in and try the wine - it’s just what the doctor ordered!

NOTE: Judy has remained close with the DiGrazia family for many years of partnership and friendship.

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