It's bottling time! Time to consider your next label project...for this fall

If you are a wine producer, then it is bottling time because it is spring. All wineries want to get the wine out of the tanks and barrels so they can rest and be ready, hopefully, after this year’s harvest. Often the wines sit for longer. At least the tanks and barrels are available for this year’s harvest. One of the other times to remember is when to get started on the new concept for your label. This often takes longer than you think. It is best to give yourself a year in advance to start in concept down to delivery of the printed labels. It can take a few weeks for compliance, quotation at the printer’s, and then a month or so getting all the parts ordered to print, emboss and cut your labels. The earlier you start the earlier you can figure out your costs for the labels and how many fancy details you may want to add to them. I will send the proofs to the printer to get them started with this process and mark the callouts so the print team can give you an accurate quote and print timing once the winery okays the quote.

Starting early helps keep you out of the time when all the backups happen. Right now every winery is getting their labels printed. It is a terrible time to put your label into the queue at the press. The print reps are crazy busy, the timing is critical and you can often find yourself an hour away, sitting in your car at 6 AM outside of the printer’s waiting to pick up your labels so you can race to your bottling line with your rolls of labels.

So don’t delay, get started now with your thoughts and ideas for your special label project.