Sometimes it seems like every winery has a mascot of the canine variety. And while there are far too many North Bay winery dogs to mention individually here, Aussies Craig McGill and Susan Elliot have put together a series of books called Wine Dogs—so we don’t have to.
The idea for these photo journals first came when designer McGill and publisher/designer Elliot were visiting the South Australian wine districts in 1996. “We noticed we were greeted by a dog in the [parking lot] of almost every winery we visited,” says McGill. “Being dog lovers, we’d play with, photograph and hug the dog…and then go in for a taste of wine. Sometimes the dog was much more memorable than the wine.”
The first edition, published in 2003, featured Australian and New Zealander pups. The book, which presents a custom portrait and personal profile of each winery dog, became a bestseller almost immediately, and it wasn’t long before a U.S. version was in the works.
Once word got out, U.S. winemakers clamored to get their pooches included in the book. One dog (Rudy from Waters Crest Winery in Long Island) got run over by a truck the day before his photo shoot, but that didn’t stop him from mugging for the photographer. “He came straight from the hospital to get photographed—scars, stitches, drip and a bucket around his head all on show,” recalls McGill. Wine Dogs: USA is currently in its second print run. Giant Dog Publishing initially printed 15,000 books, which and sold within months of release.
There seems to be a story behind every dog in the book. Profile facts like “favorite food,” “pet peeve” and “naughtiest deed” add a sense of personality to the photos. Some of them will make you do a double take—for instance, the Weimaraner whose favorite pairing is pheasant and Syrah, or the Labrador whose naughtiest deed was eating a stack of bills and an iPod. The book is also interspersed with essays and anecdotes.
Though Wine Dogs: USA Edition features more than 450 photos, many winemakers still feel left out. “We get a flood of emails weekly from wineries not featured in our books that want their dogs in the next edition,” says McGill. “In fact, wineries from all over the world are wanting to be in our books.”
Wine Dogs has proved to be quite a sensation. Now in the works are Wine Dogs: Italy and Wine Dogs: South Africa. McGill says they’re also working on a second U.S. edition. Other publishers have caught the wave, and now you’ll find such titles as Winery Dogs of Napa Valley and Winery Dogs of Sonoma, which focus on more specific regions (www.winerydogs.com).
For the complete Wine Dogs experience, visit www.winedogs.com. The website features a dog of the month and merchandise—including a stuffed “Wine Dog” and a calendar. There’s even a link to McGill and Elliot’s 8-year-old Australian Champion Siberian Husky, Stella’s, MySpace page. In the future, look for products such as collector tins of postcards, boxed greeting cards, t-shirts and more, all featuring photos of lovable pooches who inhabit the wineries of the world.
