ARTIST ELIZABETH KINAHAN UPDATES TROTTER 1/16 WINE LABEL
Painter Finds Inspiration in the Natural World
SANTA ROSA, CALIF. — In October 2026, Trotter 1/16 Wines will release its 2023 Ben’s Blend, a lush and bold combination of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot, sourced from boutique vineyards across premium North Bay wine regions. The bottling features label artwork created by artist Elizabeth Kinahan. The design is meant to capture the magic that happens when three distinct wine varieties meet and meld in-barrel. Kinahan met winemaker Stephanie Trotter Zacharia at Burning Man in 2025, and they connected immediately.
“When talking about this project, I immediately had the vision of water,” says Kinahan. “Specifically in a river - like in an eddy- or the way that a ripple in a body of water reflects different colors because of the different curves of the waves.”
The concept struck a chord with winery owner Stephanie Trotter Zacharia, who has been crafting ultra small lot wines since 2011. “Elizabeth’s painting represents the liquid art found in the bottle,” she says. “By combining color from each standalone variety’s label, she’s reflecting light dancing across the surface of a pool of water — or a glass of wine.”
“Years ago, I was doing lots of paintings of Koi ponds, so the idea of looking into a fluid body and experiencing not only its layers and depth, but also the way the light plays upon the surface, was something that was still inside me,” says Kinahan. “It felt like a perfect way to express both the beauty of the natural world and the beauty of the wines Stephanie makes.”
Each Trotter 1/16 Winery vintage is harvested by hand from small, dry-farmed, hand-tended vineyards and aged in-barrel for 28 to 33 months. This small-scale, independent winemaker’s much vaunted vintages are sold exclusively online and through the members-only Liquid Art Wine Club.
“It’s typically my passion to make these small vineyards sing by keeping them vineyard-designated and varietal-specific. But for the Ben’s Blend, I took creative license, combining one barrel of each of my ‘stars’: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot,” says Trotter Zacharia, who was recently named Woman Winemaker of the Year at the 2026 Women’s International Wine Competition.
The successful collaboration will continue into the next vintage. Kinahan will create more labels for upcoming Trotter 1/16 Wines, this time incorporating more of the painter’s personal artistic style. “Next year she is going to lend more of her own passion by adding horses that are very special to me to three labels,” says Trotter Zacharia.
About Trotter 1/16 Wines
Founded in 2011, Trotter 1/16 Winery is named after winemaker Stephanie Trotter Zacharia, who was one of 16 children growing up in Philadelphia. She started the company as a passion project after years spent working in tasting rooms, selling wines and apprenticing under veteran winemakers. Today, she seeks out hidden, backyard vineyards, celebrating geographic-specific flavors she expertly pairs with a recipe of barrels to create one-of-a-kind, artisan wines.