Let’s talk about wine…

“Hmm, cat pee on the nose and ripe pears on the palate – possibly a cheeky soupçon of gooseberry. What are you getting from this?”

“Drunk, mainly.”

For many people, the wine industry speaks in a foreign language, full of obscure terminology that only the initiated understand, and characterised by snobbery and posing. Thank heaven, then, for our old mucker Aimee Hartley, who has just set the presses rolling on Above Sea Level, her new magazine designed to act as an antidote to the elitism surrounding wine culture, bypassing the industry jargon, and opening up the conversation to anyone interested in the craft and culture of wine.

It takes a different perspective on wine to most of the industry press, looking beyond what’s in the bottle to the context that surrounds it and the way that wine intersects with our own lives, whether in terms of design, lifestyle, travel or dining.

We chatted to Aimee a couple of weeks back about what she had in store for first issue, themed around California, with contributions from photographers such as Michael Muller, David Abrahams and Daniel Dent; writers and editors including David Michon and LinYee Yuan; illustrators (Alexis Jamet); designers (Lazy Mom); winemakers, shopkeepers, bakers and a host others connected – intimately or tangentially – with the state’s winemaking scene.

Now, the first proofs are back from the printers and they’re looking beautiful, with bright, captivating design and spectacular photography to lose yourself in (and of course, some top-flight, refreshingly different writing). The mag will be available to buy from abovesealevel.co on 22 September, but you can get a sneak preview at Clerkenwell London from Monday 19 September. For the duration of London Design Festival, the design store and venue running an exhibition to celebrate the launch, showcasing magazine artwork and accompanied by specially selected wines at its 155 Bar and Kitchen.

Aimee’s throwing a launch party for press on the 19^th – give us a shout if you’d like to come along.