The labels

Rick Lambert developed the Happs label, with its logo suggesting ridge, mist, sea and sky in 1987. The imagery has proved to be both memorable and versatile. You will see it on our flag at the entrance to the property and many a tee shirt. Over the years we have expanded the repertoire of colours used on the labels to give a separate identity to many of the wines we make.

Designer Rick Lambert

The names we give to some of the wines such as Fuchsia, Marrimee, Fortis, Garnet, Anne Coralie, Topaz and Charles Andreas are intended to indicate a local identity rather than mimic another's example. There is a penalty attached to this process because familiarity is associated with predictability and unfamiliarity with risk. In the long term originality and difference are positive attributes in a marketplace becoming ever more crowded. Without recourse to a huge advertising budget, we have to rely on our customers spreading the good word. We thank you for it.

The ‘Three Hills’ label is minimalist and traditional.  It is very much driven by what Erl thinks a premium label should be.  We hope you like it.

Origin of some of the unusual names

Fuchsia
We had been making a ‘rose style’ wine for some time and selling it under the ‘rose’ label. However, it was not like other roses. It was more spritzig, highly aromatic and very refreshing. Visitors to the cellar and pottery would often walk out into the courtyard and the first thing they would say was, “What a beautiful fuchsia!” It’s a lovely sounding name, a wonderful flower - so why not?

Marrimee
Australians have not been terribly inventive in terms of names for their blended whites. There are about 50 ‘classics’ on the market. Our son, Myles, who was trying to open up a market for a white blend in Sydney said, “Dad, there are so many classics on the market, what about a new name?” At that stage, we were just beginning to make this wine from a blend of white grapes grown at Karridale. As a tribute to the ‘Marri Tree’ that is a magnificent feature of this vineyard, we began to play around with the name, hence, ‘Marrimee’.

Garnet
This is a jewel of a dessert wine.  John Gladstones, who said the colour reminded him of the precious stone of that name, suggested the name.

Fortis
This comes from the latin meaning ‘strong’. We used to call it Vintage Port, but recognized that we would have to replace the word ‘Port’. Port is a regional name like ‘Champagne’. Fortis is a fortified , sweet red wine.