The word Silwervis translates from Afrikaans to English as Silver Fish. In South Africa a Silwervis is a colloquial term for the silver bag in the box of cheap wine.
We thought this was a funny name for the wine as the Silwervis wines are only 900 bottles each, so anything but a large production bag-in-box wine. The vineyards are organically farmed, hand harvested and the wine is made naturally, both the Silwervis wines are single vineyard vintage wines, the blue label the Chenin Blanc and the pink label the Cinsault. The name Silwervis is also a double entendre because as you may also notice the half-fish mermaid on the label.
The label shows the devil carrying the mermaid. The devil represents the “old Swartland” where people used to farm with a lot of chemicals, pick the grapes over-ripe and didn’t take care of their land. The mermaid represents the “new Swartland” where people make wines softly, taking care in their viticulture and winemaking practices. The mermaid also signifies the change in style of Swartland wines from rich and ripe to delicate, light and fresh. The background of the label featuring the dry mountain represents the Paardeberg Mountain of the Swartland where the vineyards are based. The label was also designed by Conrad Botes and the first vintage of the Silwervis Chenin Blanc was 2011.