A label tells a story and the narrative behind Andrew and Rozy Gunn’s wines takes you on a fascinating journey across the ocean; fuelled by passion, engineering and art; through personal heartache and triumph; to a perfect farmland in Grabouw for growing wine grapes.

Andrew shares a glimpse of the history behind the designs of their exceptional wines and the stunning four labels that grace them: Iona, Sophie, One Man Band and Solace.

“The first thing you engage with when selecting a wine is the label,” explains Andrew. “It must talk to you or you won’t pick up bottle, and once you do, the feel of it must intrigue your senses to invite you to buy.”

He adds: “The crafting of our exceptional wines is the result of an extraordinary partnership of science and creativity and our labels are designed to reflect this unique approach.” Andrew is a qualified, experienced engineer and Rozy is classically trained fine artist and sculptor.

The creative blend between two visionaries, engineer and sculptor turned wine farmers, contributes to the complexity, richness and variety of Iona.

“The farm was originally called, Geelbekvlei, after the yellow billed ducks who still inhabit it. I sought to change it to something simpler with a personal connection which could be pronounced easily in any language as the wine is enjoyed internationally,” shares Andrew.

“My previous Gauteng home was called Iona and this Scottish island, the spiritual home of Celtic Christians, was where my Norwegian ancestor, Gunnar, settled centuries ago.”

He points out on the label design: “The Viking ship graphic and Celtic font which speak of this heritage are drawn by hand to reflect the originality of our philosophy and the particular growing conditions of our terroir.” Iona has the highest winery in Elgin and the coolest growing season vineyards in South Africa.

The excellent productivity of this wine farm resulted in a surplus in 2009 which motivated the introduction of their second label. “Sophie te’ Blanche is the nickname my workers and Afrikaans friends use to refer to Sauvignon Blanc,” relates Andrew. “Sophie has now become the most famous woman to never actually exist as she playfully graces the bottle through a beautifully hand drawn image with iconic eyelashes.”

To bring her to life, Andrew turned to his existing print production partners, Lebone Paarl Labels. “The printer is a critical part of the process in terms of executing and doing justice to the design and they offer us the expertise to deliver,” he explains. “An eye catching tactile element was added to the printed image with professionally applied inline foiling and high build varnish.” Sophie was soon joined on these modern UV flexo presses by her sisters, Sophie le Rose and Sophie le Rouge.

Adding this three dimensional “see it and feel it” quality was also fundamental to the production of the family’s next label. The brand for this blend of six red varietals from their lower Brocha vineyards was inspired by Bruce Murray Arnott’s bronze statue, One Man Band, that can be found outside their office.

“We used an illustrated adaptation thereof for the label as the skill and bravery of making music using different instruments by one musician reflects our meticulous and harmonious blending of the individual components of this wine,” highlights Andrew. “The bold graphic was further enhanced with high build varnish over the black print.”

Both One Man Band and Sophie were produced on Lebone’s exclusive “ICE” substrate with unrivalled ice bucket properties, opacity and application qualities.

It was Rozy’s unexpected loss of her previous husband, that forced her to initially become a one woman band pursuing her career and raising her family alone. Through the comfort of planting a vineyard, she found the solace needed to transform her pain into the making of the wine of this name.

“Rozy has a real affinity and sympathy for nature and this is expressed in all she does, from being a mother, wife, partner and farmer,” Andrew shares. “In line with her beliefs, Rozy farms according to organic principles and no enzymes, yeast or sulphur was used during the winemaking process for Solace.”

To reflect this earthy approach, sustainably sourced wood-free Avery Dennison’s Fasson Cotton Extra White bright white was selected as this 100% cotton paper offers a unique velvet finish for high visual texture and tactility as well as the exceptional embossing qualities needed to incorporate the delicate contour map of the farm on the label.

To create contrast to this textured canvas, a high build gloss varnish was laid over the black printed “Solace. “Our Lebone Paarl Labels representative, Tersia Botha, offered us valuable advice on what would work to make this label come to life,” adds Andrew. “We are personally and passionately involved in every process of our business and it was, therefore, a pleasure to work with someone who paid attention to detail and gave our projects individual focus.”

“Furthermore, we value the support Lebone Paarl Labels gives in terms offering us the facility to print longer runs economically and managing our stock to ensure reliable delivery continuity,” concludes Andrew. “We have established a wonderful relationship with them and their quality of delivery is by far the best we have experienced.”

Lebone Paarl Labels offers professional UV flexo and digital printing and finishing of the highest quality self-adhesive labels from their modern operation in Paarl, Cape Town. For more information, visit www.lpaarllabels.co.za or email [email protected].