Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/122527
pa c kaging PACKAGING Over-Labeling Simplified Restyle wine bottles to meet changing markets By Jane Firstenfeld I n a world where wine packaging options are limitless and still growing, the term "overlabeling" might provoke bemusement. When you can envelop a bottle in flashy shrink wrap, embellish it 360° with etching or screen print or apply die-cut embossed, foil-stamped labels on front, back and neck, excessive labeling doesn't seem possible. Lower that skeptical eyebrow: Over-labeling, as WS Packaging demonstrated in its booth at January's Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, accurately describes a practical solution to a problem many wineries have faced: It simply means the application of new labels atop previously applied labels. Water-resistant label stocks and grippier adhesives effectively have answered the distinct challenges of wine bottle labeling: Most labels, if thoughtfully designed and properly applied, are virtually impossible to remove cleanly. Call us today for your capsule needs!! (707)-463-5591 www.maverickcaps.com marketing@maverickcaps.com 38 W in es & V i ne s M AY 2 0 1 3 Prior to shipping abroad, St. Helena, Calif.-based Trinchero Family Estates replaced standard back labels for Fre wines (left) to reflect regulations outside the U.S. (right). But what does a winery do when it suddenly gains access to a foreign export market that requires different language? What if a retailer places an order for the current vintage but wants it under a private label? What if a current vintage wears an outdated labeling because of changes in state or federal requirements (ex., Sonoma County, Calif.'s, conjunctive labeling order, which became fully effective Jan. 1)? Marketing decisions including redesigns also may demand relabeling, but slapping a larger label over the first is unsightly and difficult to achieve accurately. "Accolade" labels—say a double-gold medal at a prestigious competition—are another reason to consider over-labeling. Enter WS Packaging Group Inc., the Green Bay, Wis.-based equipment and printing supplier that showed off its "print-and-apply" system at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium. The system does not have a "proper" name because of the