Named after the protective bay that shelters breeding Southern Right Whales in the cool Cape winter months, Whalehaven is a boutique winery situated in Hermanus that creates a delightful array of wines that intrigue and tantalize the palate. Although it is quietly tucked away behind the Wine Village, over time Whalehaven has gained a strong reputation for its French-styled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay creating in South Africa wines which evoke the elegance and reserve of fine Burgundies. These classic Burgundian varietals are icons of the Hermanus region and a long-standing tradition within the Whalehaven winery portfolio, however these wines are almost immediately sold out due to the limited size of the release. Whalehaven has now created a new release called the W Range which includes a Rosé called Strawberry Fields and a red blend of Shiraz-Merlot called Crushed Velvet.
In the past few years, the pioneering spirit of the new owner Alberto Bottega seems to have infused itself into the winery as there has been an incredible amount of guidance and care taken to create wines of individual excellence.
Increasingly consumers and wine buyers are equally beguiled by the Whalehaven Merlot and Viognier-Chardonnay and not just the flagship Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The style of the wines in the Whalehaven collection have an elegance and refined nature, being very structured and balanced like French wine.
Silvana Bottega who handles marketing for the winery notes, “We wanted to do something different that could add that elusive layer of complexity rarely found in new world labels which tend to simplify the canvas down to a bare essence. We wanted a design that evoked the sophistication and elegance of this new range of wines and reinforced the quality of the product. For this new release for Whalehaven - the W Range - we chose very evocative names for the wines. Crushed Velvet was chosen for our red blend as that really brought out the soft, silky and ultimately velvety finish on this wine as well as refers to the process of crushing the grapes. We called the other wine in this range Strawberry Fields Rose as it is blessed with an abundance of strawberries on the palate.”
The brief for the W Range was given to Arctic Circle, who are known for their label design expertise creating label masterpieces for Grande Provence and Grande Roche. Creative Director at Arctic Circle, Tyrone Beck, said of the wine label, “By tying together a signature W with the modern splice of a whale tail which arches over the W, we have created an iconic logo that is more like an insignia or a letter that could have been taken from an ancient, French manuscript. For the W range we chose the round label to soften the look and created a light UV gloss lining in the paper which gives the label some depth. It adds a level of finish and complexity to the label. The typeface is actually incredibly modern for a wine and a bold step for the brand. The overall look firmly sets it up as a cult wine that will both be revered and indulged in on special occasions.”
