Peter Renton writes;

The US government has been mulling new labels for wine, beer and liquor for several years now. There has been a push to require more comprehensive information, similar to standard nutrition labels on food, on wine and beer labels and it appears this movement is gaining strength. Last week the government released its proposal for public comment.

All the big companies seem to be supporting these new changes. The folks over at Diageo PLC, the owner of such famous brands as Guinness, Smirnoff and Johnnie Walker, have welcomed the move saying it is a “giant and very positive step in the right direction.” Similarly Beam Global Spirits and Wine Inc., owners of many premium alcohol brands including Jim Beam Whiskey and Clos du Bois wines, had positive things to say, “we agree with the spirit of the government’s efforts to provide consumers with more information.”

Some people are concerned about the visual appeal on the labels of these new regulations. I pulled this graphic off Tom Wark’s Fermentation Wine blog. It shows an exaggerated picture of the potential impact of these new changes. He says, “it appears that the future of wine labels may include a hefty dose of Ugly.”

I completely disagree – here is my take on the new regulations. I realize that a beautifully designed wine label can have a huge impact on the success of a wine, and these new regulations should not change that. Most wine is labeled with both a front and a back label, and the front label can remain unchanged. So the visual impact of wine labels will not be impacted, the consumers will never even notice these changes unless they pick the bottle off the shelf and turn it around. And any designer worth their salt should be able to incorporate these new regulations unobtrusively into a small box on the back label.

Anyway, these changes won’t be happening any time soon. The government is soliciting public comment until October 29. Then they will consider the changes and after they make the decision companies will have three years to comply with the new standards.

See also: “The Future of Wine Labels“.

The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI), the trade association representing the North American glass container industry, conducts the annual Clear Choice Awards, which recognizes consumer product goods companies that package their food, beverage, cosmetic and fragrance products in glass.

“Through designing and using glass packaging for your brand, you are leading the way in providing your customers with what they really want—a ‘pure,’ ‘premium’ and ‘sustainable’ product,” says GPI President Joseph Cattaneo.  “Choosing glass for a food, beverage, or cosmetic product is an environmentally and socially responsible decision that allows for a package design that creates superior shelf impact and brand loyalty.” 

Winning product in the wine category was the Sonoma Vineyards Chardonnay and Merlot bottles targeted to appeal to the 25-35 year old new group of wine consumers.

The glass bottles are as elegant as the wines themselves, yet approachable and easy to enjoy with their twist-off closures. The package labels depict three distinct countryside scenes of Sonoma County per SKU.

By Mike Carter.

Prêt à boire® (ready to drink) is a selection of fruity, round, delicious wines in a beautiful stand up pouch with a spout.

Prêt à boire®’s packaging is made out of 3 different films (PET – Aluminium – Polyéthylène),  strengthened in its base by a Nylon film, in order to avoid flex cracking. This complex structure provides a very good barrier against oxidation.

During the conditioning the pouch is filled from the spout, and is screw capped just above the liquid. This conditioning process preserves the wine from oxidation. The screw cap has a security ring.

Prêt à boire® is also a good deal cheaper to transport: 40% more wine on a standard pallet and when flat empty is 25 times less volume than a bottle of an equivalent content.

The shape has been conceived with stability as the main objective, as stability is a big concern for airlines and train companies. Another increased concern for them is the security of the passengers, and Prêt à boire® offers a better alternative to a glass or PET bottle.

Prêt à boire® is also recyclable with plastics, as the aluminium can be separated from plastic by an industrial process (Pyrolyse).

By Mike Carter.

Source: hearhear.us

It appears that the future of wine labels may include a hefty dose of Ugly.

A little “ugly” never hurt anyone, but a hefty dose of ugly is just down right….ugly.

It appears there is a serious move to force nutritional labels on alcohol bottlings, including wine. It’s a Bush Administration proposal that is supported fully by The Center For Science in the Public Interest…the folks who spent time particularly in the 1990s explaining to us all why we will all die very quickly if we eat Movie Theater Popcorn, Alfredo Sauce, and any other food that is not made of pure fiber.

If you want a good look at what the proposed nutritional labels will add to a pretty package of wine, go here to the WineLoversPage, where I stole the label on the image to the left. Behold, the future of wine packaging.

I know…..consumers NEED this info. According to Diageo, one of the largest alcohol beverage companies in the world that supports this initiative, it is “a giant and very positive step in the right direction…Overwhelmingly people want this kind of information on the package.”

Perhaps. Who am I to say what consumers want and what constitutes giant steps. I do know that designing labels and packaging for clients of Wark Communications will me much less enjoyable than before. But who am I do determine what’s enjoyable?

By Tom Wark.