‘The Underworld thrusts a shovel into that unseen land of sticks and stones, of broken bones, the kingdom of roots. Above the ground the sun drenched vines flourish but their bounty is nothing without the sober grind of roots blindly winding into the Earth, the hidden hero of flavour, and of the place.’
Biles Hendry was asked by leading UK wine distributor and producer Boutinot to create a wine label for a dark and twisted South African Grenache Blanc.
The Underworld is a reference to depths and layers of soil the vines explore in their search for sources of water and nutrition.The nature of this ‘terroir’ has a fundamental effect on the flavour and quality of the grapes.
Soils are made up of many millions of years of sedimentation.This includes ancient, primordial biomass beyond which we find later evidence of life on earth. Biles Hendry developed a label that provides a light-hearted take, with the label showing an illustration of the vine roots passing through millennia of sediment: skulls, dinosaur bones, prehistoric life along with old bottles, carriage clocks and flip flops.
Taking its styling from comic strips of counter culture magazines like Oz and the illustrations of Robert Crumb and Glenn Head, the monochrome treatment and rough cut out label shape, provide an arresting and truly distinct shelf and table presence.
Biles Hendry’s Creative Director Anthony Biles commented, “It’s always refreshing to take a sideways glance at the wine industry and step away from the traditional cues associated with wine labels.With this project, we got to tell a story about the vine and the terroir in an irreverent way.”
The wine is available throughout the UK in wine specialists, restaurants and through online stores, and retails at around £10.
Source: Biles Hendry
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