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In the last year I've re-designed my labels, using a graphic as a background. I like the designs enough that I decided to re-label my last few cases of certain wines from 2018 and 2019. Following are the original labels followed by their replacements. In the case of the Merlot and Zinfandel, I used stretched the original graphic, faded it, and used it as the background.

2018 Metheglin v2 - single label.png

2018 Metheglin v3 - single label.png

2019 Merlot #3 v1 - single label.png

2019 Merlot #3 v2 - single label.png

2019 Zinfandel v1 - single label.png

2019 Zinfandel v2 - single label.png
 
So even if & when I do switch to NoonTime labels, there is still the effort of the one-time removal of labels from wine I have purchased in order to re-use the Bottles. Methods I have previously used involved soaking and washing and peeling, which was such a mess.

Now I am simply scraping the labels off the dry bottles with a sharp knife, and using a powerful hand cleaner to remove the glue residue. This is working well, is more rapid than earlier methods, and not such a mess.

At this point I have a full set of 30 brown bottles for Cabernet Sauvignon, a full set of green bottles for Watermelon Fruit, more than a full set of clear for Moscato or Fruit, and nearly a full set of 30 of the more shapely bottles for Pinot Noir.

Time to start coming up with better ideas for label artwork.

labelRemoval.jpeg
.
 
So even if & when I do switch to NoonTime labels, there is still the effort of the one-time removal of labels from wine I have purchased in order to re-use the Bottles. Methods I have previously used involved soaking and washing and peeling, which was such a mess.

Now I am simply scraping the labels off the dry bottles with a sharp knife, and using a powerful hand cleaner to remove the glue residue. This is working well, is more rapid than earlier methods, and not such a mess.

At this point I have a full set of 30 brown bottles for Cabernet Sauvignon, a full set of green bottles for Watermelon Fruit, more than a full set of clear for Moscato or Fruit, and nearly a full set of 30 of the more shapely bottles for Pinot Noir.

Time to start coming up with better ideas for label artwork.

View attachment 88566
.

Check out a product called LabelNator, best knife thing to remove labels.
 
Labels are hard! I am just messing around with these. I don't have anything bottled, and I think once I do I'll be able to see thing better if I do a test print and get it on the bottle.

Thought I would ask opinions though.

I made the bearclaw logo months ago and these 2 are the original ideas.

final label.png\Pinot Grigio.png
Tried to add a little colour
shiraz.png
And a little more
shiraz3.png
shiraz2.png
shiraz1.png

I did 30 variations to come up with these and I'm not really any more impressed than I was with the originals.

Whadaya think?
 
Labels are hard! I am just messing around with these. I don't have anything bottled, and I think once I do I'll be able to see thing better if I do a test print and get it on the bottle.

Thought I would ask opinions though.

I made the bearclaw logo months ago and these 2 are the original ideas.

View attachment 89282\View attachment 89288
Tried to add a little colour
View attachment 89283
And a little more
View attachment 89285
View attachment 89286
View attachment 89287

I did 30 variations to come up with these and I'm not really any more impressed than I was with the originals.

Whadaya think?
@vinny I like them a lot. Very classy looking. I prefer the ones with some color, and wouldn't hesitate to slap any of them on my bottles. That said, it sounds like you still have time before bottling, and you must enjoy the creative process, so I'd try even more ideas. When it's no longer fun, stop and use these excellent creations. :D
 
@vinny, I like the next-to-last one best. In the ones before and after, I find the red bars are distracting.

I may have suggested this previously, but if so, it's worth mentioning again -- vary your labels. I have 8 wines in production and have made 40 different batches in the last 5 years. I have numerous capsule colors (I buy in lots of 500 so I don't often run out in the middle of a batch), and vary the labels (in my case, the background changes), and this helps with lot recognition.

Especially when the amount remaining in several batches gets low, finding the bottle you want can take more effort than you expect.
 
Thanks you. I'm still playing around. I think I just need to print and see how it translates on the bottles to get more direction.
@vinny, I like the next-to-last one best. In the ones before and after, I find the red bars are distracting.
I agree. I found anything I did looked like it was just added in. I tried corners, half the label in different colours, and it all looked out of place. Even when really transparent. Maybe the black one is just done.

I'm intending to do a different label for every wine and I already ordered caps. I think I have about 300 in 5 or 6 colours. I think printing will help a lot so I can see how the colours play against the bottle.

I have a big wine day coming up. I'm going to taste and see where everything is, possibly split and adjust the Pinot Grigio, bottle the DB, and likely at least half of the Shiraz. I think it has been 5 weeks since I racked it last, and I thought it was good then.

Sadly this site is a better record than my notes. I had to look back for my post about it to see when I racked it last. My notes were inconsistent on that one. (non existent!)

I live in the woods. I am surrounded by gravel, dirt, tractors, side by sides, and quads. I step outside and I'm dirty. I wear jeans, black, and grey. Otherwise I destroy it. I usually lean towards towards the same in things I design out of habit.

This is me trying to break free and keep it simple. I really need to see it on a bottle.

purple shiraz.png
I do really like the logo and how it can be broken up and tweaked for different effects, though!
 
This is me trying to break free and keep it simple. I really need to see it on a bottle.
I suggest you pick a theme and stick with it for a period, e.g., 2021 wines or 2022 wines. In your situation, your logo and the winery name (including font name and size) can be your theme. Play with other features.

Instead of focusing on making the perfect label, have fun with the process and try different things. If your labels are 6/sheet and the DB is 5 gallons, print 4 different labels. The wine won't be around long as DB is a quick drinker, and you can see what works.
 
Well dang that sucks. It is such a good product. I hope someone else makes a similar thing.
I was going to suggest using a razor decal remover, then I found this. Interesting; I've gotten all my bottles scraped years ago (and now obviously use our removable Everything Label), but hopefully someone tries this out and gives feedback. I'll create a separate post as well, just because it looks like it might be a fantastic solution.1654711576589.png
 
Also, no matter what you use to remove the label material, my advice is to use a Brillo pad (or similar) to clean up afterwards. Steal wool and soap will take off most adhesives (they are mostly acrylic water-based these days). I also recommend NOT soaking bottles to remove, since all that adhesive, paper, foil, microplastics, and more get inside your bottles.
 
Labels are hard! I am just messing around with these. I don't have anything bottled, and I think once I do I'll be able to see thing better if I do a test print and get it on the bottle.

Thought I would ask opinions though.

I made the bearclaw logo months ago and these 2 are the original ideas.

\
Tried to add a little colour

And a little more
View attachment 89285



I did 30 variations to come up with these and I'm not really any more impressed than I was with the originals.

Whadaya think?
Great job! Really like the distressed black with the diagonal red stripe. My only suggestion would be to add more contrast. Use a brighter red against the black, and have the gradient in the text and claw go from gray to white (instead of dark gray to light gray). Really minor nuance would be to enlarge the claw just a bit so it overlaps the stripe a bit more instead of converging with it. Again, great job.
 
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Go to your big box store and buy this, and make your label removing life super-easy... Scrape the label off with a butter knife, and then use this with a rag or even paper towels... a little goes a long way... then wash off the bottle with dish soap.

08e864c7-8588-41d4-81db-59d5fe460d7c_1.bcfd49ca16b8996419fe8bdbca409167.png

My latest labels... All my labels are printed on regular paper and affixed with a mix of milk and a little Elmer's Glue. Removal is a breeze....

84893-41044e62453c835372fc3ff4564066dd.jpg
 
This is my label from a recent batch of Island Mist: Sex On The Beach.
Renamed Easy Breezy and featuring our sailboat.
I use the Avery software, and print on 8&1/2x11 full sheet at Staples.
My wife says 4 per page is best as when I made 6 per page they were too small.
 

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I don’t mess around with labels. Too much work getting them off. Here’s what I do. Vintage year and bottling date.
 

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