At least four of the designs entered into the awards show the “home grown” flavour that is coming through from vinyards from all the wine regions wanting to make an impact with their distinctive labeling.
Riverby Estate, for instance, chose to emphasis New Zealand’s freshwater fishing in its Marlborough Pinot Noir; Koru chose a paua shell concept on its Sauvignon Blanc; Nikau Point chose an appropriate nikau palm for its Sauvignon Blanc and Maven came up with the most humorous of all for its Marlborough Pinot Noir – an abandoned car in a paddock that has a tree growing out of its open bonnet!
It is the first time that wine labels had their own section at the awards.
Awards manager, Sue Archibald, says, “We gave them special recognition this year by making them a separate category and the response was wonderful with 42 entries. The strong local design feel made this a very innovative and colourful area for the judges to adjudicate, and the competition was very strong.”
Judges say wine packaging buyers are also enjoying greater choice in this area, as flexographic printers are making inroads into an area that has traditionally been an the preserve of offset print.
“That is adding a new element of competition and choice for the wine companies, which can only be good for the industry,” says Archibald.
