Issue link: http://winesandvines.uberflip.com/i/83237
P A CKA GING Regiments of screen-printed bottles are conveyed through the massive computer-controlled oven at Monvera Glass Decor. Moving through progressively hotter temperatures followed by slow cooling permanently bonds the decoration to the bottle. Who among us doesn't store vodka in the freezer for weeks or months on end? ACL labels not only withstand cold and condensation, but the tactile adherence of screened labels enhances a bartender's grip. To illustrate, Bergin pulled out a bottle for Castello di Amorosa's popular and pricey Napa rosé. The prominent producer had encountered problems during bottling when condensation from the chilled wine rendered bottles too slippery to label, wreaking havoc on the bottling line. Bergin's ACL package solved that problem. Bergin Glass' bottle for St. Francis' Anthem adroitly adapted the winery's traditional paper label to the screen-printing technique. Paper labels, including self-adhesive, can literally gum up the bottling process, causing waste and delay. Already securely pre-labeled, screen-printed bottles keep the lines running smoothly and demand no expensive change parts for unique or multiple shapes. Bergin noted that other advantages in- clude: permanent adhesion; no bubbling, wrinkling or torn label corners; scuff proof/waterproof/cellar proof; a 360° de- sign surface and a vertical height surface extending to one-half inch from base and bottle shoulder. Watermark Labels A DIVISION OF LUSTRE-CAL CORPORATION Building on Four Decades of Innovative Packaging and Label Solutions • Unsurpassed Quality and Superior Value • Innovative Materials and Short Lead Times • Customer Focused 715 S. Guild Ave., Lodi, CA 95240 • 209.370.1616 info@watermarklabels.com • www.watermarklabels.com 38 WINES & VINES OCTOBER 2012 "Our Italian machines can print up to six colors—including precious metals such as 22-carat gold and precious platinum. On print runs from 100 cases to 25,000 cases; direct screen-printing is cost compet- itive with all other labeling applications." Bergin estimated that his company pro- duces about 1 million cases of wine bottles per year for clients on the Pacific Coast and in mountain states. Because bottle shipping is notoriously expensive, though, he often recommends that wineries in more distant regions employ trusted colleagues for screen-printing services: Universal Packaging in Vernon, B.C., and Stanpac, Smithville, Ontario in Canada; or Quest Industries of Hillside, N.J. (Quest also has a West Coast plant in Stockton Calif.) Bergin Glass occupies a 40,000-square- foot site in a Napa industrial park and recently converted some case storage space to accommodate added printing equipment. At 15 years old, Monvera Glass Dé- cor is a relative newcomer to the field, having recently expanded for the third