The AVA Series label by Labeltronix demonstrates the new capabilities of label stock.

Improving the performance of your wine package may not require a complete redesign. Sometimes small changes can make a big difference in wine sales and profit margins. From the label stock to the closure to bottling—and then later in the tasting room—a slightly different approach can make a major impact.

As we do every fall, Wines & Vines scoured dozens of submissions to the packaging section of our November supplier listings, looking for new products and services we haven’t previously covered. If something strikes your fancy, find contact information in the Buyer's Guide Online.

If you’re looking for inspiration, start right here to learn about some possibly unexpected sources.

Get it on paper
Labeltronix added the AVA Series of label stock to its Arctic Shield line. According to Jill Sambol, the names are not proprietary to the American Viticulture Areas they are named for but were selected based on how the particular regions could be represented in the colors for each specific material. The stocks are available to any winery in any region.

The materials incorporate shimmering silver or gold coatings. Printing inks take on the characteristics of the stocks, which carry a premium price tag as part of the chill-resistant Arctic Shield line.

Digital Dogma is a print shop that started just three years ago with a digital press and a single employee in San Luis Obispo, Calif. The company now serves 175-200 wineries between Santa Barbara, Calif., and Washington state with a staff of five, an additional finishing press and a new video-inspection rewinder, focusing on pressure-sensitive labels for wine, beer and craft spirits producers as well as olive oil, health/beauty and food packaging.

Digital Dogma printed the engrossing, story-telling, wrap-around labels for Inconceivable wines featured in our October packaging story. The company offers hot-stamp foil, embossing, spot varnish and variable data options. Typical turnaround is 10-14 days.

Foil stamping is an important element of Patti Britton Design’s label for Sonoma, Calif.’s 1,500-case La Chertosa Wines. Printed by CCL Label of Portland, Ore., the “Old World wines” bear an “old style logo” with bronze foil and a “Florentine border” foil stamped around the illustration for each varietal. “In some cases, hand lettering for the appellation and varietals give a handcrafted look,” Britton noted.

The paper stock is shiny and textured, Britton said. The design is a tribute to La Chertosa winemaker Sam Sebastiani’s grand-father, Samuele Sebastiani, who learned the vintner’s craft at a monastery in Farnetta, Italy.

Arrested Wines of Ukiah, Calif., launched in 2015 with 1,000 cases of Marmalade Moscato. Production is slated to quintuple in 2016, according to Keith LaHonta at Agajanian Vineyards, which sources grapes for the winery’s marmalade as well as Rover Red and Wanderer White, set for release late this year.

“We worked with (Arrested Wines) from A to Z on this program—including their go-to-market strategy,” which includes retail and consumer-direct, LaHonta said.

More than a simple vineyard-management company, Agajanian, which has offices in Napa and Madera, Calif., also recently completed a private-label project for a regional grocery chain in Central California.

Screen treatments
Monvera Glass Décor of Richmond, Calif., is a staple among wine designers, and it continues to expand decorating capabilities, most recently with the addition of ultraviolet (UV) printing. The technique relies on special inks incorporating photo initiators that spur a chain reaction when exposed to UV light to form a solid, dry continuous ink, yielding bright, vivid colors and deep rich blacks. Although popular in Europe for some time, “Lately, it’s begun to make inroads in the U.S. markets,” according to Monvera.

The UV inks bring additional design options to premium décor: True four-color process for half-tones, gradients and photographs; full-wrap, shoulder, neck and even lip-printing on the bottle; chemically engineered, wider color spectrum and shimmery, mirror-like reflective metallics that allow you to “see your face in the reflection of the label.”

Specific UV inks contain photochromic elements that can darken when exposed to direct sunlight. “Wine brands might explore this capability where darkening the label might provide design and/or protective enhancements, e.g.: Chardonnay that cools itself during an outside picnic.” Thermochromic UV inks can turn colors when exposed to hot or cold temperatures, revealing a different image or word when chilled to a certain level.

Cured using UV lamps, the inks produce the lowest possible carbon footprint.

Sun Chemical is a major producer of UV inks. Heather Bucholz explained: “No difference exists between UV and LED: LED is UV light. UV inks are cured when exposed to specific wavelengths of UV light. The differences between mercury vapor/mercury halide lamps and LED lamps are in their range of spectral distribution, heat generation, energy consumption, light geometry, space requirements and cost. LED units can be more specific with their wavelength, generate little or no heat, have smaller profile and are claimed to have 10 times the working life. In addition, LED does not produce ozone; mercury lamps do.”

The initial cost for LED lamps is significantly higher, and they have limitations in regard to effectiveness vs. distance from substrate. “In the past few years, LED curing has been gaining acceptance in the glass-decorating market. Although heat generated by the mercury lamp is not an issue for glass, some find its other advantages worthwhile.”

Sun Chemical also produces organic thermal inks, which cure at around 350? F for 30 to 60 minutes, while thermally cured inorganic inks cure at temperatures around 1,200° F for one to two hours.

Decorative foil adhesives can be applied inline or offline, with either UV or thermally cured ink. The adhesive is screen printed onto the glass and foil is applied. The foil will only transfer to the foil adhesive and not the printed graphics.

Topping tips
In his keynote address at the Aug. 19 Wines & Vines Packaging Conference, Joe Wagner discussed the evolution of his Belle Glos bottles. The extravagant “capsule” of scarlet dipped wax requires a tear tab for easy opening. Eventually, the Wagner family developed a proprietary tear tab, but previously it used die-cut lengths of tear tape from Napa’s Etched Images, source of its LowTemp Dip wax.

Etched Images now offers tear tape rolls for wax dip toppers. Measuring 0.25 inches by 60 yards, “Customers actually cut them to length with scissors and apply by hand before dipping the bottle,” said Stu McFarland, the company’s president and founder.

McFarland said the majority of the 100-plus clients purchasing the tear tape are in microbreweries and micro-distilleries, indicating an opportunity for wine industry innovators to adopt this easy-open feature on premium bottles.

For users of cork-and-capsule and screwtop treatments, hot foil embellishment is hot, according to Jenna Riggan, marketing coordinator for Amcor Flexibles of American Canyon, Calif.

Hot foil “can really bolster your brand perception,” she said. “Consumers perceive a higher value and quality. It can make the piece stand out from the crowd. Metallic foils lead to more ink reflection, creating a stand-out product on the shelf.”

The premium treatment does not necessarily cost more, Riggan said. “Hot foil can be more cost effective than printing, particularly on smaller run sizes. We have shells already printed; by using our wide range of stock colors for a base, the lead time and cost position are very competitive.” Although relatively new, the process is already employed by several winery customers.

More wineries are customizing their closure treatments, according to Jennifer Peebles of Janson Capsules. In May 2015, Janson moved production facilities for its screwcaps, polylaminate and PVC capsules to Napa, adding to the county’s payroll.

Screwcap embellishments include hot stamping on top and blind embossing on tops, embossing with hot-stamp and two-color skirt hot stamping. For polylam capsules, Roto-Gravure printing for skirt and top discs; for top discs, embossing with ink and hot stamping as well as hot stamping with embossing for skirts.

Every element of the packaging process demands planning ahead. Collin Casper at Napa’s VinPerfect noted, “We see wineries who do well with lead times; who plan months out to be able to get custom caps. Then we see others who have waited until the last minute and we’re either rushing production and shipping materials via air freight from overseas, or we are using our own proprietary laser-engraving here in-house.”

Screwcap décor options, Casper said, depend on the winery size and the time allotted for production. “Wineries that do well with lead times plan months out to get custom caps. For others who have waited until the last minute, we’re either rushing production and shipping materials via air freight from overseas, or we are using our own proprietary laser-engraving here in-house.”

Typically, Casper said, wineries ask for single color top/side designs. “Few are using multiple color top/bottoms. Embossing is at a premium; so many wineries opt for the flat-print option, bringing the cost down, but still keeping most of the design concepts.”

Clients with many smaller brands opt for top laser engraving, which enables customized brands at a smaller level than other screwcaps, Casper said. “We can produce laser engraving down to one box (1,000 units).” For clients who want top and side foil, “We can have print dies produced in two weeks, completed in two more weeks.” Casper estimated about 25% of his clients order with lead times of a month or less.

A better plan, he suggested, is to start the purchase process 12 to 14 weeks out, giving time for mock-up designs, color-matching and samples of fully finished caps.

Line up for bottling
ATM Bottling attained more than 2 million cases in seven years. Value-added services for mobile-bottling clients include an on-board nitrogen generator for sparging (no cumbersome “dewar” gas canisters required); in-line case printing for important case ID, which “saves a person and cost of a label,” according to John Davis.

Laser bottle coding with date, which is “required but not enforced,” per Davis; stem sterilization; Nitrodose Ease Drip N2 headspace dosing and hot glue case sealing for a smoother look and durability are among the capabilities.

In response to customer requests for labeling services with more shelf appeal, ATM added bottle label orientation and a third label station for neck labels. The Napa-based bottler works with wineries of all sizes, mostly in the North Coast.

Fogg Filler of Holland, Mich., said its new LT series of fillers are designed for a market “previously untouched by domestic equipment manufacturers. They are perfectly suited for smaller to mid-size wineries looking for their first bottling machine or looking to upgrade to something a little faster and easier to use and maintain.”

The LT series are smaller in footprint and less expensive than Fogg’s other offerings. Built in the United States, they come with American support and service for easy, inexpensive maintenance and servicing.

“We have sold multiple Fogg fillers to companies from the East to West Coast, including a mobile wine filler,” said Kortni Hartmen. “Our fillers fill wine bottles ranging from 50ml up to 1.75 liters. The LT version is simplified: All electrical controls have been brought down to a more basic level to cut down on cost and complexity.”

TCW Equipment of Napa, introduced a semi-automatic filling system: Each station’s action is automated, but bottles are moved manually from station to station, Michael Caviness explained. “For example, when the bottle is placed on the rinser/sparger, the cycle is carried out automatically. Bottles are then manually moved to the filler, where they are filled automatically.”

The system is now in use at boutique wineries. “They find that bottling on their own time is more convenient than working around a mobile bottler’s schedule,” Caviness said. “It only takes a few bottling runs for the system to pay for itself, relative to the cost of a mobile bottler.”

The system is an all-in-one unit, so it takes little space. “We set them up so there’s just a single plug for air, a single plug for electrical. The entire table can be rolled away when not in use,” he said.

Larger wineries also have adopted the semi-automatic system for ongoing small-batch bottling unsuited to automatic lines. “Ste. Michelle Wine Estates purchased one for a high-sugar dessert wine that would not be compatible with their automated line,” Caviness told Wines & Vines.

Cost ranges from $18,000 to $30,000, about one-third the price of an entry-level automated line. “Bottling speed is not so different from a full automated line. Our customers get about 12 bottles per minute with average dexterity vs. about 20 bottles per minute for a fully automatic line.”

Totally alternative: break out of the bottle
Astrapouch, the Penfield, N.Y.-based innovator of flexible wine pouches in North America, has reduced the minimum order for printed 1.5-liter Astropaq pouches to 1,000, according to Erica Graham. “We are seeing larger wineries adopt this for specialty runs, such as for holiday wines and for testing a new flavor in the pouch to see how customers respond,” she said.

It’s also convenient for smaller wineries that wouldn’t otherwise have a multi-serve pouch, Graham added. “A few wineries have some of their SKUs exclusively in the pouch.”

Although it also provides traditional bottles and closures, G3 Enterprises of Modesto, Calif., has branched out into bottle-free packaging as well. Now an exclusive distributor of Petainer 20-liter and 30-liter kegs in 13 western states, G3 also has partnered with Zipz, a single-serve wine package with an innovative oxygen-management system, according to vice president of sales Mihailo Panovich.

Made from a high-grade polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Petainer kegs are 100% compatible with dispensing equipment, deliver taste as intended by brand owner, impose zero reverse logistics cost, no maintenance/cleaning costs or deposit systems and zero effluents from cleaning products, according to Panovich.

“Petainer kegs are fully and easily recyclable, meeting all the essential requirements for both mechanical and ‘energy from waste’ recycling. Customers can choose the most appropriate methods and take account of local conditions. PET is one of the easiest and simplest plastics to recycle. Once safely de-pressurized, the kegs can be disposed of in the same way as any other PET packaging. No special arrangements need to be made. The major components of the fittings are also fully recyclable and can be placed in the normal dry recyclables or plastics recovery channels, where systems and facilities exist,” he said.

Economically priced in comparison to steel keg and some other PET keg formats, G3 will provide Petainer keg filling at the customer’s location or at G3 in Modesto.

The Zipz package is also PET, with a patented Clean Wrap technology. Wines packaged on G3’s bottling line and are intended to stay fresh for 12 months, according to Panovich.

The single-serve package “looks and feels like a traditional wine glass.” The Clean Wrap protects it from contamination during storage and handling and extends shelf life by preventing damage from light. A trademark Diamondclear oxygen scavenger eliminates nearly all O2 after bottling to ensure a yearlong shelf life. The PET glass and wrap are recyclable, shatter- and spill-proof.

The lid protects the seal during transport, serves as a non-skid coaster and replaceable lid, and can be custom branded with logos, venue names or sponsors, including social media URLs.

“Many major wineries and retailers are testing the product,” Panovich said.

Products for tasting rooms
Even after the long, drawn-out processes of design, manufacture and bottling, a little more value-added investing can increase sales and recognition of your brand.

Cortizza of San Jose, Calif., introduced a product so new it is not yet available in winery tasting rooms. It’s a solid cork bottle box available for sale on Cortizza’s website. The price per unit is $19.50, but quantity pricing can reduce the total to $9.50 each for orders of more than 1,000 units. Imported from Portugal, these boxes might be interest premium-minded direct customers in tasting rooms or wine clubs.

Based in San Francisco, Spicer Bags also makes cork-based carriers in various styles. Customized with silk-screened logos in any color, lead time is between one and two months, depending on quantities. Retail prices range from $20 to $200.

Minimum orders are low: $300 for the first order; 20 pieces per style for customization.

Casa Amarosa offers jute and burlap wine bags in custom sizes, designs and prints. Eco-friendly, reusable and natural, they are available in more than 50 wine-specific styles, according to Nirali Guzman. “We can develop bags also based on specific client needs.”

Because bags are customized for different clients and quantities, wholesale prices vary, but they start as low as 99 cents per unit. “Customers sell the one-bottle wine bag, which wholesales for $1.50, for more than $7 retail,” Guzman said. For customized bags, sampling takes two to three weeks; production takes about a month, depending on quantity.

Virtually every winery needs wine shippers. PakSource of Sacramento, Calif., added to its WineShield line of recyclable, biodegradable, compostable shippers to meet demand for multiple-magnum boxes for premium wineries. The corrugated Kraft paper products can be custom printed with logos and story lines to help promotion and reinforce brands.

Bottle inserts, top pads and shippers can all be custom printed in as little as two weeks.

Browse the supplier listings for more inspiration. Even a small change could significantly impact your branding and sales efforts.