The Art of Surfing

This is the story of one of the coolest projects we've ever worked on.

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Meet Marco. It goes without saying that he is one of the raddest people we know. Aside from being an all-around good dude, he's a badass surf photographer and an inspiration to all of us here at Tank. Earlier this year, he bought a one-way ticket to Hawaii and decided to chase his passions full time. Let me tell you, it paid off. 

One night last summer, Marco put a bug in our ear about a surf-themed wine. And the more we thought about it, the more that we realized if we define art by the notions of craft, creativity, and expression, surfing may be the ultimate medium. From the shaping room to the water, the ideas expressed in surfing are natural and living in a way that few other art forms can be.  With the help of Marco and a few friends, we decided to create a surfboard, a wine, and a coffee table book inspired by our shared passions and, as Marco put it, “capture all the laughs, fuck-ups and satisfaction of the entire process.”

Now introducing the hippie. We knew we wanted something that truly captured the vintage and free-spirited vibe of Tank, so when we came across the iconic 1960s photo of a naked hippie hitchhiking across the country, we knew we'd found the one. The board itself is an 8-foot single-fin cruiser, and damn does she look beautiful.  No board is complete without a ride in the water, which is where the real fun begins.

Meet Tyler Payne, our shaper and the baller surfer you'll see on the bottles of Art of Surfing. A California kid who grew up in Pacifica, Tyler's been in the water since before he could walk, so it's no surprise that he took to surfing at a young age. He got into making surfboards back in 2011 after realizing that his boards were never going to feel quite right unless he took matters into his own hands. 

For our surfboard, he invested three long hours of hand planing, rasping, and sanding to create the perfectly smooth and symmetrical shape. After glassing and polishing, our board was ready for its maiden voyage in the water. We headed out to a top-secret spot off Hwy 1 with Marco, Tyler, and a few friends, and damn, did we have ourselves a good time. When we started going through all of our shots, we just couldn't help ourselves, so we decided to create six unique labels for the release.

The wine itself is a blend of Tempranillo, Sangiovese, and Barbera–a wine with, as our winemaker Bertus puts it, "a California sun-kissed vibe." Each blend that we make at Tank is something unique, and this wine is no different. Art of Surfing hits you on the first sip with juicy raspberries and pomegranates before taking you on a journey filled with aromas of cinnamon, dark cherries, and tobacco. Needless to say, this is going to be a killer summertime red. If you've got plans for firing up the grill, do yourself a favor and pop one of these bad boys. You won't be disappointed. 

Want to read all the juicy details behind the project? Grab yourself a copy of our Coffee Table book. We documented everything about this project, from the making of the board to the blending of the wine. It's chock full of stunning photography and artists' backgrounds. Don't wait though, because this one's in limited supply.