SWOON WORTHY WINE LABELS | FEATURE
THE ART OF WINEMAKING
"Rascallion Wines’ IMPRESS ROUGE label was inspired by the complex artistry that goes into creating blends. Components are selected and tasted, and then blended together until the finished wine emerges. The Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage components flow into one another, creating a fine expression of the artistry of the winemaker’s craft," says Managing Director Ross Sleet.
THE MYSTERIES OF NATURE
LAMMERSHOEK’S MYSTERIES label is a reflection on the mysterious creatures and plants that can be found on Lammershoek wine farm in the Aprilskloof Valley in the Swartland. “The creatures that feature on our labels are all well respected and each have their own unique impact on our old vineyards––which contribute to the style and uniqueness of our wines. In essence, the labels depict how we are ‘living close to nature’,” says, Lammershoek’s Winemaker Jorrie Du Plessis.
Howdy Stranger
The Withington ROAN RANGER is a Rhône-style wine. However, like the word Champagne, the French restricted the use of place names to indicate style. This meant some surgery on the word was required, and so they created a phonetic solution. Owner Charles Withington says, “There’s always been a strong family association with horses, in fact, great cousin Fred Withington still holds the record of saddling first and second past the post in the 1908 Grand National. So anything horsey had a sentimental pull, which led us to the beautiful and fitting Roan Ranger label design.”
Formally Feathered Friends
Now covered with vineyards, Lucerne farm was originally a duck farm, run by Granny Kay Smuts. The wine’s name Lozärn is the Swiss-German pronunciation of the beautiful city Lucerne in Switzerland. A young Kay and her family fled to Lucerne when they escaped Germany on a troop train during WW1. When it came to Lozärn Carménère’s label design, “We wanted to pay homage to our dearly departed feathered friends by using a striking graphic image of a duck skeleton, creating an eye-catching, albeit slightly macabre look.”
AT EASE SOLDIERS
To ensure that all travellers could pass safely in an ever-expanding colony, the Dutch deployed their Piekeniers soldiers along the rocky Kloof range of the Piekenierskloof Pass. “In light of a new era for South Africa, the Piekeniers soldiers didn’t need to be guarded anymore, and so we decided to disarm their eight military poses, placing their efforts into more fruitful actions. So, we created eight different wine labels, including PIEKENIERSKLOOF GRENACHE 2016,, telling our story,” says, owners Potgieter and Oubaas van Zyl.
THE POWERFUL STEED
The label of WARLORD RED BLEND showcases Cavalli's brand icon and logo. The horse, etched in gold against a stark black background, celebrates the beauty and power of the equestrian form. The artwork was inspired by the bronze equestrian statue, Physical Energy, an iconic landmark in Cape Town, but this time it is without the rider, and therefore in its purest form.
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