This is what SA’s best wine labels look like – according to the experts

Have you ever been swayed to buy a bottle of wine purely because of its pretty label? You’re not alone. It’s human nature to gravitate towards what is aesthetically pleasing. The South African Wine Label Design Awards is an initiative that began in 2015 by South African wine publication, Winemag.co.za. The competition aims to reward outstanding design as an influence on consumer purchases. 

The judges for this year’s awards included: 

Christian Eedes – Editor of Winemag.co.za 

Sean Harrison – Executive creative director, Graft 

Giles Edwards – Head chef at La Tête in Cape Town 

Rebecca Constable – Product developer for wine at Woolworths 

Carla Kreuser – Freelance designer and former creative director at The Jupiter Drawing Room 

“The brief to the panel is to reward work that triggers an experience rather than simply being beautiful for the sake of beautiful,” said Christian Eedes. “In addition, we wanted to celebrate those brands that were an authentic and original expression of the South African experience wherever possible.”

These are the wine labels that took top honours: 

Caravel Wines Bring The Ruckus Carignan 2019 REDDesign firm: Caleb Rodewald Illustration & Design (USA), Caravel Wines (RSA) & WINPAK (RSA)

Springfield Estate Albariño 2019Design firm: Jan van Tonder

Warp + Weft Red Blend 2016 – Babylon’s Peak. Design firm: Multi-Color Corporation

Although the label design awards started with wine, they have come to include beer and spirit labels. The planned awards event unfortunately had to be cancelled due to COVID-19. The complete list of winners for 2020 can be found on Winemag.co.za.