McLaren Vale

A small-production Australian Shiraz has earned global renown by being named the world’s best label in 2011 by the World Label Awards Association.

The label of Alpha Crucis Shiraz 2008, produced by Chalk Hill Winery in McLaren Vale, was named best in Australia before taking on and beating the best from Europe, the US, India, Japan and New Zealand in the global final.

The awards are recognised as the peak competition for printing and label associations around the world.

The clean, minimal label, curved at the top, focuses on the constellation of the Southern Cross, in which Alpha Crucis is the brightest of five stars.

Explaining the thinking behind the design, Alpha Crucis says: ‘The ellipse or partial parabolic arc over the top of the label reflects the shape of the celestial night sky, with the Southern Cross constellation identified by a dotted line as they were in star maps from the last century.

‘Stars surrounding the Southern Cross are highlighted in muted colours with an embossed texture.

‘The gold band towards the base of the label reflects the borders found on early examples of European star maps.’

Full story available from from Decanter Online

For further information on the Alpha Crucis range visit http://www.alphacruciswines.com.au/