Charles Art On Wine Label

A painting by Prince Charles adorns the latest vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild, following artists including Picasso, Dali and Francis Bacon, the London-based Times newspaper said. The Prince's watercolor of golden pines in Cap d'Antibes is used on the label of the 2004 wine, of which about 20,000 crates will be put on sale imminently. The newspaper said 'the wine world was astonished' with the choice and said the honor is usually bestowed upon 'Zeitgeist-defining artists.' The use of the prince's work has raised the product's price by 22 percent since September, it said. It described the vintage, which will retail for as much as 140 pounds ($274) a bottle, to be regarded as 'good but not great - much, indeed, like the artist himself.' Chairman Baroness Philippine de Rothschild decided to use the prince's artwork to celebrate 100 years of French-Anglo friendship, the Times said. However, it said that will attract collectors who wouldn't normally buy it and quoted one observer who described it as a 'ruse' to boost prices. Irish Art