42: The answer to life, the universe – and winemaking
The number 42 might appear at first glance to be just an ordinary pair of digits, but for fans of Douglas Adams’s The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy it holds a much deeper significance. According to the popular book and its film version, 42 is the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything – a concept that still resonates today, in our era of endless information and our ceaseless quest for meaning and enlightenment. 42 challenges us to think beyond the obvious and embrace the absurdity and mystery of existence.
The number has special significance for award-winning wine brand Orpheus & The Raven, weaving a thread through the very fabric of its winemaking and philosophical approach to the world. The brand produces a boutique range of bespoke wines that are released regularly as well as special limited-editions. One of the wines in their range is even named after 42 – Orpheus & The Raven No. 42 Cape Blend. It also happens to be a best-seller in its category according to sales data from Circana.
According to seasoned winemaker Etienne Louw, 42 represents curiosity, exploration and the pursuit of knowledge – much like the journey of Orpheus himself, a mythical musician and poet of classical Greece who travelled into the underworld to try to retrieve his dead wife, Eurydice, and in doing so, was saved from his own death only by his powerful music. Like Orpheus’s own calling, music is very much part of the DNA of Orpheus & The Raven.
Orpheus & The Raven infuses passion for art and music into the winemaking process, creating tasting notes that are not just descriptive but also evocative. Wine flavours are likened to musical compositions, where each note and nuance tells a story.
This approach will resonate with the audience of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, who appreciate the blend of eccentricity and depth, and find joy in the unexpected connections between different forms of art. By using music to describe wines, Orpheus & The Raven invites wine lovers to experience its products in an immersive and imaginative way, much like the film soundtrack for The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, composed by Joby Talbot, enhances its narrative. Fusing orchestral arrangements with electronic sounds and capturing the essence of Adams’s beloved universe, the score uses whimsical themes, with dramatic and ambient sounds that mirror the film’s adventures across space, echoing the offbeat humour and philosophical undertones of the story.
Orpheus & The Raven emulates a similar blend of creativity and intellectual curiosity in its approach to wine. It uses sound to describe the taste of wine, diverging from conventional methods. A tasting hosted by Louw is more than likely to involve a performance, with the man himself strumming on the guitar – and these performances are filmed and shared online. In this world, where there is such a rich tapestry of myths, philosophy, music and artistry interwoven into the wine’s identity, the musical notes replace formal tasting notes.
‘We want to play you what the wine tastes like,’ says Louw. ‘No words are penned; rather, expression is found in songs that resonate with each wine.’ The music notes for the wines – No. 42 Cape Blend, No. 7 Pinotage, Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc and The Swansong (a Gewürztraminer) – can be found on the conceptual, creative website: www.orpheusandtheraven.com. There’s also the Conspiracy of Ravens, a single variety Pinot Noir, and a relative newcomer to the range is the Bordeaux-style blend Orpheus & The Raven Eternal Eight.
The intrinsic link between music, art and winemaking is self-evident in this brand and Louw is not alone in this endeavour. The Raven to his Orpheus is artist and wine label designer Brenden Schwartz, the owner and creative director of Bravo Design, a specialist packaging design studio in Cape Town. The two friends conceived of Orpheus & The Raven as alter egos that would allow them to spark philosophical debates and share stories about wine. ‘The mythical character Orpheus, a master of poetry and song, could bend any living being to his will. Reciprocally, the Schwartz [meaning black] family name is celebrated as the Raven. Orpheus, symbolising forward vision, and the Raven, representing encouragement, mirror the core of their collaboration,’ writes winetoshare.com
With nothing in their arsenal except passion, creativity, energy, and a single wine barrel, Louw and Schwartz started Vinoneers in 2010, the umbrella company for the brand Orpheus & The Raven. From the outset, this dynamic duo wanted to offer wine consumers something different, thus planting the rootstock for a wine label that would be ‘an assault on the senses.’
The award-winning wine label designs created by Bravo Design feature detailed sketches inspired by the classical Greek play Orpheus in the Underworld. Each wine is corseted in a dramatic, hand-drawn baroque-style drawing, reminiscent of 16th-century German artist Albrecht Dürer, with Orpheus and his sidekick Raven depicted on each.
As for what’s inside the bottle, the winemaking process is meticulous. The No. 42 Cape Blend has been consistently rated at 4,5 stars by Platter’s over the years. In every sip, the story of Orpheus and his prophetic Raven lives on, inviting wine enthusiasts to embark on their own journey of discovery and enlightenment.
The confidence to explore new frontiers without fear and a delightfully different, considered approach are markers that set Orpheus & The Raven apart. The brand’s next step in its journey is to partner with leading local distributor
Vinimark, which is similarly known for its entrepreneurial spirit and for creating unique avenues to market that combine opportunity with demand.
Commenting on why Orpheus & The Raven will speak to today’s market, Brand Portfolio Director at Vinimark, Helen Kock, states: ‘We continue to explore new frontiers in the wine industry by fostering brands that offer unique perspectives and exquisite craftsmanship. This melds both the artistic and commercial journey in winemaking. The inclusion of Orpheus & The Raven in the Vinimark portfolio not only diversifies it but also enhances our market presence, bringing a fresh artistic flair to our line-up. We currently don’t know of another wine brand that “sings” in this way.’
‘We know that both wine collectors and broader consumers alike are curious about wine so we are continuously looking for innovative ways and exciting brands that will attract more interest in the category. In the case of Orpheus & The Raven, we felt that with such a unique brand story and standout packaging design, it would do exactly that!’ states Kock.
Vinimark will be distributing four of the Orpheus & The Raven wines: No. 42 Cape Blend, No. 7 Pinotage, Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc and Eternal Eight. In the case of the latter wine, there are plans afoot to scale this fuller-bodied, rich red intended ‘for eternal occasions’ because it is ‘effortless to love’ and is bound to meet with wide uptake.
Vinimark’s role will be to bring Orpheus & The Raven wines to a broader audience so that the potent combination of art and wine can be enjoyed nationwide by wine lovers sitting around a table with friends, discussing the ultimate question: ‘What is the meaning of life?’
For more information visit https://www.orpheusandtheraven.com/.
For more information on Vinimark visit https://vinimark.co.za/.
