South African wine label named one of the best in the world

A South African wine label has just been named one of the Top 5 in the world.

This honour was achieved by the wine brand, Orpheus & The Raven, which was shortlisted by the esteemed industry publication, The Drinks Business, in its Drinks Business Awards Best Design & Packaging for Wine. These awards have become the most authoritative and internationally respected badge of achievement in the alcoholic drinks industry.

The Orpheus & The Raven range of wines is owned by South Africans, winemaker Etienne Louw and graphic designer Brenden Schwartz, of BRAVO Design in Cape Town. These friends recognised a creative fire in each other and decided to direct this passion to develop a wine brand that is not driven by sales volumes, market share or consumer insight, but by a pure expression of the love for fine wine and art.

“We were encouraged by peers to enter our wine for this prestigious award and are blown away to be recognised along some of the most beautiful labels globally,” tells Brenden, whose company designed the labels. No stranger to awards, Orpheus & The Raven labels have been the recipient of critical acclaim in the past: it won the Grand Prix award at the local 2018 Winemag Wine Label Design Awards, and three Gold Medals at its 2019 awards – more than any other producer.

Through clever design and packaging, Orpheus & The Raven wines aim to honour the consumer with an engaging label at the point of sale, right through to consumption, allowing for visual intrigue and discovery throughout.

Rather than just conveying information about the wine, the labels tell the story of the owners’ personal journeys inspired by the Greek play Orpheus in the Underworld. The wines feature dramatic hand-drawn, baroque-style sketches in the style of 16th century German artist Albrecht Dürer, with Orpheus and his sidekick, Raven, depicted on each. “The strong visuals are not coincidental – it is a deliberate ploy to, through confident design, attract the attention of consumers,” says Brenden.

Etienne, whose musical talent is represented with Orpheus and his lyre, says that the labels are a “a complete assault on the senses” and perfectly captures the winemaker’s journey as artist: “Every label in the range is a unique piece of art, and represents the processes required to develop a brand from concept to conclusion, and also the artful transformation from grape to wine.” To date, this artist’s portfolio includes a Chenin Blanc, the 42 Red Blend, Pinotage Nr. 7 and the Last Swansong Gewürztraminer.

Like the play which encourages its audience to “never look back”, Etienne and Brenden say they are looking forward to the virtual awards ceremony in October, when the duo will hear whether they’ve won the ultimate award of Best Overall.

About Orpheus & The Raven

Orpheus & The Raven was conceptualised in 2010 by award-winning winemaker Etienne Louw and celebrated graphic designer Brenden Schwartz of BRAVO Design in Cape Town. These friends recognised a creative fire in each other and decided to direct this passion to develop a wine brand that is not driven by sales volumes, market share or consumer insight, but by a pure expression of the love for fine wine and art. With nothing in their arsenal except passion, creativity, energy, and a single wine vat, Brenden and Etienne started Vinoneers, the umbrella company for the brand Orpheus & The Raven, which now includes four wines, a Chenin Blanc, the 42 Red Blend, Pinotage Nr. 7 and the Last Swansong Gewürztraminer.

About BRAVO Design

Bravo Design is an owner-led agency founded by Brenden Schwartz in 2004, and a leading agency of choice of several of South Africa’s wineries. Taking its cue from the raven depicted in its logo, Bravo Design prides itself in being one of the country’s foremost creative design agencies known for intelligent design, flexibility, and adaptability. By offering these skills to its range of specialist clients, Bravo Design is indeed a cut above the rest – solving complex challenges with ingenious and creative solutions, every time.