Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/573907
October 2015 WINES&VINES 35 BOTTLES &LABELS Traditional bottles present important cues to buyers: What varietal is the wine? Is it white, rosé or red? Are the bottles easy for retailers to display, and do they fit con- veniently in home wine racks and refrig- erators? Wineries may opt for an embossed bottle, but they rarely adopt the innova- tive shapes and finishes that are com- monplace for liquor and perfume packages. Inconvenient, messy, wet-glued la- bels have largely—but not entirely— been supplanted by their roll-fed, self-adhesive counterparts. Pewter and wood-laminate labels are now available, largely adopted for high- end custom packages. Moisture-resis- tant label stocks protect packages from condensation and ice-bucket service. In the past decade, direct on-bottle screen printing has become wildly popular. This durable format provides designers with a larger canvas for imaginative branding using virtually every inch of bottle surface for design. It saves time on the always-worrisome bottling line, but because bottles are printed before the wine is bottled, over- or under-runs are not unlikely. We consulted established wine packaging designers and their clients to learn how suc- cessful bottle/label (paper or direct print) combinations can forge the right bond. All scream for screen print Availability and technology has brought screen printing to the forefront during the past de- cade. Screen-printed bottles are thought to convey a high-end look even to value-priced wine brands, while maintaining reasonable costs. Mill Valley, Calif.-based designer Jim Moon of Jim Moon Designs singled out his package for Ceviche, an "entry level Sauvignon Blanc aimed at people who are new wine drinkers." It's one of several packages Moon has designed for 65,000-case Anders-Lane Artisan Wines in Napa, Calif. "The idea was a food-pairing concept, hence the fish graphic," he said. "The silk-screening approach worked particularly well with the flint bottle and the wine. I supported the fish theme in the screw capsule with a net and the copy line, 'Catch of the Day.' "It was a genuine challenge for the silk-screen vendor, Universal Packaging (of Vernon, B.C.). It required feathering each fish on top of the other. We also had to lay down an opaque white first, then put down the color val- ues. It was the first time this had been done," the designer said. "Feathered f i s h " m a y b e a novel concept, but pairing with cevi- c h e i s i n d e e d appetizing. Paula Sugarman of Sugarman Design Group in Fair Oaks, Calif., nominated a screen-print bottle she designed for 200,000- case St. James Winery in Mis- souri. St. James marketing director Ann Miller was look- ing for her wine to stand out among other midwestern producers. Although the St. James Riesling bears an Ozark High- lands designation, it is made with grapes imported from Washington. "We were interested in really differentiat- ing our wines from the other regional of- ferings, and screen printing (with an awesome design) was the way to do that," Miller said. Both the bottle and the screen printing were provided by Vitro Packaging; screwcaps are from Guala. "Our executive winemaker is from New Zealand, where they have embraced the use of screwcaps. We moved to screw- caps over 10 years ago," Miller said. She reported that customers and distributor partners embraced the design and package change right away. Sugarman said her mission was to create an updated, eye- catching brand identity for St. James' Frontier Selection wines. "It was important to maintain brand recognition with a visual connection to their existing wines, which enjoy a great reputation in the region," she told Wines & Vines. To achieve that, Sugarman De- sign Group refreshed the St. James logo, starting with a font that was designed in the 1980s. "We re- worked the letters, creating a new shape that draws the eye in. In the studio, we call this a bull's eye." While Sugarman sought a more sophisticated look for St. James, David Hanson-Jerrard of 4Parts De- sign in Sausalito, Calif., went "rus- tic" in his design for 5,000-case Newsome-Harlow Winery in Califor- nia's Gold Country. "There is a rustic feel to the whole environment," he said. "Scott Klann, the owner and winemaker, has an accompanying rich history in the Foot- KEY POINTS The article explores the advantages of careful pairing of glass containers with bottle decoration. Screen printing has enabled an explosion of creativity in bottle decoration while label options have also multiplied. Wineries increasingly choose subtly modi- fied glass shapes to grab attention without abandoning tradition. Honig uses Monvera's screen-printing capabilities to differentiate its multiple tiers of wines. Top left: Screen printing and screwcaps help St. James stand out in the Midwest. Right: Newsome- Harlow's packaging is meant to reflect the winery's rustic environment.