By Laetitia Ouspointour, oenologist, winemaker and founder of L.O Wine
My wine painting workshop in Bordeaux is one of the most requested in my catalogue, and often the one that surprises people the most. I’ve been running it for more than 5 years, after training with a watercolour artist in the Loire Valley, and my workshops now have more than 90 Google reviews, with a 4.9/5 rating.
Wine as a pigment. A brush gliding across paper, with colours changing according to the grape variety, vintage and concentration. Painting with wine is a completely different way to experience it, far beyond a traditional tasting, and it often appeals to people who might never have imagined themselves taking part in a wine workshop.
→ Discover the painting with wine workshop
How does the wine painting workshop work?
Each participant receives a personalised design, a sketch or mandala that I adapt to the occasion: the event venue, the estate, the company’s offices, or the location of a wedding or hen party. Rather than starting with a blank page, everyone works from a design that has a real connection to the group or the occasion.
We start by discovering 4 wines together: their intensity, their texture, their colour. They then become your palette.
Then we paint with red wine. We dilute it, build up layers and watch how the tannins and natural pigments react with the paper. The colours vary depending on the wine used: Merlot, for example, creates different shades from Cabernet Sauvignon. It’s sensory, creative and surprisingly calming.
Each participant leaves with their own artwork, coloured by the wine’s natural hues and connected to a place or moment that means something to them.
What the colour of a wine tells you
In this workshop, colour isn’t just about looks: it’s another way of tasting. Before you even take a sip, it already tells you a lot about the wine.
The colour of a red wine comes from the grape skins, not the juice. Cabernet Sauvignon has thicker skins and gives less juice than Merlot, so it produces a deeper, more intensely coloured wine. On paper, you can see the difference straight away.
It’s also no coincidence that the two varieties aren’t planted in the same places. Cabernet Sauvignon needs warmth to ripen properly, so you’ll mostly find it on gravel soils, which drain well and warm up quickly, in the Médoc and Graves. Merlot ripens earlier and thrives on cooler clay and limestone soils that hold on to moisture, as in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. So when you paint, you’re putting a little bit of terroir on the page.
Who is this workshop for?
Hen parties, bachelorettes and stag dos. The painting with wine workshop is one of the most popular formats for hen parties in Bordeaux: original, sociable and perfect for photos.
Corporate team building. Painting together over a glass of wine creates a very different dynamic from a traditional team activity. No hierarchy, no competition, just creativity shared around the table.
Private groups and friends. A creative option for a birthday, a get-together with friends, an original evening in Bordeaux or an event at home.
Corporate events. A relaxed, memorable format for a cocktail reception, aperitif or client event.
→ Organise your wine painting workshop
Why paint with wine instead of paint?
Because wine has a story. It comes from a specific place, is made by specific hands and carries the imprint of a vintage, a terroir and a climate. Painting with wine brings all of that into the artwork, even without you necessarily realising it.
There’s also something wonderfully freeing about the workshop. Wine doesn’t behave perfectly: it runs, spreads and surprises you. That’s what makes every piece unique and every session different.
If you’d like to know more about the technique, I’ve also written about why and how wine is used in painting.
Where does the workshop take place?
I come to you: at home, at your weekend rental, in a private venue in Bordeaux, at Château Vieux Mougnac or around Arcachon Bay. The workshop is available from 4 participants and can be adapted for groups of 20 to 30 people.
→ Contact us to organise your workshop
Wine painting workshop: frequently asked questions
Do I need to know how to draw?
No. Everyone starts from a sketch or mandala prepared in advance: all you have to do is bring it to life with wine.
How many people can take part?
From 4 participants up to groups of 20 to 30 people.
How far in advance should I book?
At least 2 weeks before your event, a little more for large groups. The workshop runs all year round.
Do I need to know about wine?
Not at all. The workshop starts with a simple introduction to 4 wines before anyone picks up a brush.
Where does it take place?
Wherever suits you: at home, in a rental, in a private venue in Bordeaux, at Château Vieux Mougnac or around Arcachon Bay.
What about cancellation and payment?
Everything is set out in the general conditions of sale, and I’m happy to answer any questions before you book.
What do I take home?
Your own artwork, painted with red wine on a personalised design linked to the place or the occasion.
Who runs the workshop?
I do. I’m Laetitia Ouspointour, an oenologist, winemaker at Château Vieux Mougnac and Concours Lépine prizewinner with CréaWine®.
Laetitia Ouspointour is the founder of L.O Wine, oenologist and winemaker at Château Vieux Mougnac.
→ Painting with wine: lowine.fr/en/the-catalog/painting-with-wine/
→ All our workshops: lowine.fr/en/the-catalog/
