Bottle Labels – 2018

by Bryan · Published August 28, 2023 · Updated January 25, 2025

Wine Bottled in 2018

Note: These labels are from wines bottled in 2018, not started in 2018.

2018 was a year with a lot of change.

First, I bottled several wines that had been bulk aging way too long. I printed these labels on colored, gummed paper made specifically for winemaking. The paper was poor quality and it just didn’t work well with an inkjet printer.

And I just realized I spelled “Pinotage” wrong …

In this timeframe I also got rolling on several wines. I re-developed an enthusiasm for winemaking that I had long since lost.

I really disliked the Black Forest label, so I ended up re-designing it, printing on a color laser printer, soaking all the labels off, and re-applying the new ones. If you’re going to make wine you’re proud of, present it proudly!

Printing on a laser printer rather than an inkjet was a game changer.

At this point my winemaking went into high-gear, and I produced more wine in 3 months than I had in 3 years. I also switched back to the larger label format, and experimented with graphics, adding more to each label. I continued printing on a color laser printer.

My niece asked me to make a batch for her — she paid for the materials and I did the work. At that time she was still drinking sweeter wines, so I made a “Fun Wine”, a red or white with a fruit F-Pack.

I hadn’t made Elderberry in decades, so this was fun. Finding graphic that matched the wine was entertaining.

Generally speaking, finding the graphics takes far longer than creating labels.

I produced a label for the Metheglin, but after bottling a few bottles I was dissatisfied with it, so I moved and enlarged the bee graphic. Plus I changed the font for the bottling date and ABV.

This was better, but again — in hindsight — it wasn’t really much better. But it was a progression.

I find this thread useful for myself, in terms of seeing what worked and what didn’t, as I plan future labels.