Yesterday the Rotolabel-sponsored Wine Label Design Awards were held for the third time, and the quality and quantity of entries received has improved considerably. Black Oystercatcher Noble Late Harvest 2014 won the Grand Prix Award as the best wine label design overall, for a label design by Anthony Lane Design Consultancy. 

Black Oystercatcher Noble Late Harvest 2014 also won the Gold Award for a wine selling for over R80 per bottle. Two further wines won Gold Awards, both being in the R80 plus price bracket: David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner The Bowline 2015, which was designed by Haumann Smal Design Studio; and the beautiful botanical design for Thistle & Weed Duwweltjie Chenin Blanc 2016, for which the wine label design was created by Fanakalo. 

A Gold Award also went to the Christoffel Hazenwinkel wine series of Hazendal, being for The White Blend 2016, The Rosé 2016, and The Red Blend 2016, the cutest wine labels with different bunny characters on them. The label design for the Wine Series was done by Whitespace Creative. 

The People’s Choice Award was for a Wine Series, with two cultivars created by Callan Williams from Somerset West, the design of her wine labels for The Garajeest  Jim (Morris) Semillon 2015, and Bruce (Springfield) Cabernet Franc 2015 having been created by Whitespace Creative. The winner for this Award was determined by an online public vote. The wine Series also won a Silver Award.  

The award ceremony was held at the Cape Town Hotel School in Granger Bay, on a picture perfect afternoon. I was unable to stay for the full length of the event, having to be at another function, so I was grateful to Jax Lahoud from Winemag in giving me the media release, so that I could photograph the award-winning wine label designs, and some additional ones which caught my eye:

#   Diemersdal Wild Horseshoe Sauvignon Blanc 2016, designed by Anthony Lane Design Consultancy. The bottle has no Diemersdal branding on the front label, but its Wild Horseshoe name is immediately recognisable. The wine label won a Silver Award in the R80 plus price category. 

#   Dirty Little Secret Chenin Blanc 2015 by Ken Forrester Wines, designed by Brandtree. The wine won a Silver Award too, in the price category of R500 plus per bottle.

#   Alphabetical Vin Blanc 2016 won a Bronze Award for its label design for a wine selling at R80 or more, designed
by Owl & Vine Brands and Chris Moore. 

#   Beaumont The Kin Series, which won a Bronze Award in the Wine Series category, its label designed by Whitespace Creative. 

A total of 88 wine label designs was entered, the highest number of entries, and substantially more than last year, increasing from 50 entries in 2016, I was told by Winemag editor Christian Eedes. Criteria for judging the wine label designs were originality of concept, execution, shelf appeal, and effectiveness as a piece of communication, the media statement informed. 

The judging panel consisted of Christian Eedes (left); Rebecca Constable, who heads up product development for wine at Woolworths; Sean Harrison, who is the Executive Creative Director at Whitespace Creative; Executive Chef Margot Janse, the outgoing head of the kitchen at Le Quartier Français; and Carla Kreuser, a Creative Director at The Jupiter Drawing Room. 

WineMag, Cell 0836547721. www.winemag.co.za Twitter: @ChristianEedes @Winemag @JaxLahoud

Chris von Ulmenstein, WhaleTales Blog: www.chrisvonulmenstein.com/blog Tel +27 082 55 11 323 Twitter:@Ulmenstein Facebook: click here Instagram: @Chris_Ulmenstein