Porseleinberg letterpress labels

Porseleinberg, situated on top of a mountain in the Swartland has just released its first vintage, but its elegant letterpressed label was designed more than two years ago by Fanakalo studio in Stellenbosch.

Keeping in line with a premium wine that is both ‘green’ and unique, Fanakalo proposed a wine label that made use of the absolute minimum amount of printing.

Letterpress printing has the smallest carbon footprint of all printing methods, so the owners of the farm decided to buy their own 1940’s Heidelberg printer (a 1940’s windmill platen press also known as the ‘boxcar press’), and the winemaker took on the position of printer himself. 

It took a year to get the letterpress machine restored and up and running on the mountain, and another year for the wine to mature. The name Porseleinberg translates to Porcelain Mountain and the fragile white label draws its inspiration from porcelain, whilst the motifs on the neck and the blue colour on the back are derived from Delft tiles, which were a popular feature in historical Cape Dutch homes.

More info at www.fanakalo.co.za / www.porseleinberg.com

Check out the video of the letterpress printer in action: