Alpha Crucis Titan Shiraz 2017 (12x 750mL). McLaren Vale, SA

THE ETHOS

Alpha Crucis is the brightest star in the Southern Cross constellation, the most conspicuous star formation visible from the southern hemisphere. It is often abbreviated to A-Crux (or Cross) or simply denoted with the symbol.Alpha Crucis wines are an extension of this maxim, aspiring to be the best and brightest wines from our vineyards and to reflect a sense of place and our efforts in the vineyard and winery. Alpha Crucis wines are only released in those years that satisfy our uncompromising principles of quality and varietal integrity. Consequently production of the wines may not occur in years where the climate or vintage conditions challenge these principles.

THE SOUTHERN CROSS

Australians have a cultural connection with the Southern Cross constellation, its importance reflected in national verse, prose,art and most notably adorning the nation's flag. This connection is replicated across the southern hemisphere, with the constellation appearing on the flags of New Zealand, Brazil and Samoa and thecarvings in Machu Picchu, Peru. The Southern Cross (or Crucis) constellation comprises five stars in a cross-like formation, each identified by their relative brightness. The brightest star provided the first letter of the Greek Alphabet - Alpha, abbreviated on star maps with the α symbol. Subsequent Greek letters are applied in descending order of brightness - Beta (β), Gamma (γ), Delta (δ) and Epsilon (ε). Alpha Crucis is the bottom (or most southern) star of the Southern Cross, with the next brightest stars found in a clockwise direction from this star. Alpha Crucis is in fact two stars aligned when viewed from Earth, however they are separated by approximately 20 light years or 64 billion kilometres.

THE LABEL

The abbreviated Alpha symbol - α is the focal point of our logo. The ellipse or partial parabolic arc over thetop of the label reflects the shape of the celestial night sky, with the Southern Cross constellation identified surrounding the Southern Cross highlighted in muted by dotted line as they were in star maps from the last century. Stars 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. The Alpha Crucis Shiraz label was named the world's best wine label in 2011 by the World Label Awards Association. After being awarded the best in Australia, it then took on and beat 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.