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More Than A Label P A CKA GING Etched and screen-printed bottles add style and staying power By Jane Firstenfeld fter years of labor in the vineyard and months in the winery, producers of handmade, artisan wines might be tempted to put their vintages in simple bottles with clas- sic labels and closures and call it a day. In an ever more competitive marketplace, however, this could be the most shortsighted decision to make for a long-term business. While bottle and capsule manufacturers, producers of label stocks and package designers continue to bring striking options to the table and market shelves, influencing consumer deci- sions to a yet unmeasured degree, the winemaker's art still relies greatly on visual appeal to reach and resonate with buyers. Despite water-resistant paper and inks and self-adhesive labels with barnacle-strong grip, labels are inherently temporary—not a bad thing for recycling or reuse. To permanently brand a special bottle or an entire bottling run, though, consider etched or screen printed bottle décor. A The hand-etched and painted bottle for Darius II virtually jumps off the page with color and texture; the presentation bottles Etched Images creates for Napa's Darioush Winery become precious keepsakes. Etched for memory Etching is a centuries-old process of reproducing original art. The technique may bring to mind intricate 15th century mono- chromes by Albrecht Dürer, or colorful prints by more contem- porary artists such as Andy Warhol. Etching endures, and today it finds a compatible medium on wine bottles and stemware. Highlights • Etched bottles are individual works of art most often reserved for special vintages, presentations or display. • Screen printing is permanent, versatile and competitively priced. • Both processes allow designers to utilize the entire bottle. • "Wax" dipping complements the elegant presentation of etched or silk-screened bottles. 36 WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 A recent visit to the Napa headquarters of Etched Images demonstrated the range and versatility afforded by etched bottle décor. The atelier's intimate showroom displays an array of daz- zling examples from simple, single-hued elegance through hand- painted, alluringly textured artworks intricate as Fabergé eggs. Many bottles are outsized, and that is a fair representation of Etched Images' output: Many of its sales are oversized "presen- tation" bottles ordered by wineries as auction donations or as premiums for top customers and wine club collectors. Many are empty display models with their interiors blackened to look full (and fully showcase the art) at retail or on-premise vendors. Collectors of these works of art may have the blackening done retroactively (after consuming the contents.) "With rare exception, our labor-intensive process does not lend itself to hand-etching and hand-painting thousands of 750ml bottles," according to an Etched Image sales piece. "Depending on the complexity of the artwork, pricing begins at $16 each for an order that exceeds 289 750ml bottles. That is why it is unlikely that you will see our craftsmanship on grocery store shelves." "We hand-etch and paint close to 10,000 bottles per year. We work primarily with 3-liter and 6-liter large-format bottles but work on all sizes up to and including 27-liter—the equivalent of three cases of wine," explained Stu McFarland, president and co- founder of the business established in 1992. The process is hands-on from start to finish, making every single bottle an original work of art. "Wineries email us with their digital label art, and we manipulate it to make it etchable.