How to Create a Killer Wine Label

Derrick Lin

Global

Hey, do you love wine as much as I do? If you do, then you know how important it is to have a good wine label. A wine label is not just a sticker that tells you what’s inside the bottle. It’s also a way to attract customers, show off your brand, and tell a story. But how do you make a wine label that rocks and gets people to buy your wine? Here are some tips and examples to get you started.

Tip 1: Know your peeps

Before you start designing your wine label, you need to know who you are designing for. Who are your ideal customers? What are their preferences, tastes, and values? What kind of wine do they like and why? How do they choose wine and where do they buy it? These questions will help you figure out your buyer persona and customize your design accordingly.

For example, if you are targeting young and adventurous wine drinkers who like to try new things, you might want to use bright colors, funky fonts, and awesome graphics that grab their attention and reflect their style. You might also want to use catchy names and slogans that express their attitude and mood. Something like:

  • Rebel Yell: A bold red wine that will make you scream for more
  • Moonstruck: A smooth white wine that will make you fall in love
  • Pinky Swear: A fruity rosé wine that will make you keep your promises

Targeting the young: NIÑO TERRIBLE WINE

He was a restless and indomitable boy who fought for noble causes. As an adult, he turned his entire instinct into creating magical wines. [Read More]


On the other hand, if you are targeting older and more conservative wine drinkers who value tradition and quality, you might want to use classic colors, elegant fonts, and simple graphics that show sophistication and trust. You might also want to use descriptive names and labels that highlight your wine’s origin and characteristics. Something like:

  • Chateau de la Roche: A rich red wine from the Loire Valley
  • Domaine du Soleil: A crisp white wine from the Provence
  • Rosé d’Or: A delicate rosé wine from the Champagne

Targeting older and more conservative: PREINER III

Preiner III is a premium cuvée made of three varieties, some of them unique to the winery’s micro-location. The wine is produced by a winery led by three generations and embodies the three value pillars of Preiner Wines – heritage, quality, and elegance. The label of the wine is designed to be technically demanding yet outwardly simple. The design incorporates elements of classical architecture and uses two precisely superimposed papers to recreate the structure and dimensionality of a fluted column. The only graphic element on the label is numeration – each bottle has a unique number obtained by debossed bronze foil that seems like it was carved in stone. The goal was clean elegance that speaks louder than words, so the idea that design is only complete when there is nothing left to remove guided the creation of this label. The result is a label that turns a bottle into a classical pillar. [Read More]


Tip 2: Choose the right stuff

The stuff you use for your wine label can make a big difference in how it looks and feels. You need to think about the type of paper, the printing technique, the finish, and the shape of your label. These things will affect not only the beauty but also the durability and functionality of your label.

For example, if you want to create a rustic and natural look for your wine label, you might want to use recycled or kraft paper with a matte finish and a rough feel. This will give your label a warm and earthy vibe that suits organic or biodynamic wines. Something like:

  • Brown paper bag: A simple and eco-friendly paper that shows your care for the environment
  • Cork board: A textured and sturdy paper that shows your love for the craft
  • Wood grain: A patterned and cozy paper that shows your connection to nature

If you want to create a sleek and modern look for your wine label, you might want to use glossy or metallic paper with a smooth finish and a shiny effect. This will give your label a cool and futuristic vibe that suits innovative or experimental wines. Something like:

  • Silver foil: A shiny and sleek paper that shows your sophistication and elegance
  • Hologram: A colorful and dazzling paper that shows your creativity and diversity
  • Carbon fiber: A dark and strong paper that shows your power and performance

Clever usage of silver foil – MONY ESTATE WINERY

The Special Reserve Range has a classical black label and comes complete with beautiful individual gift boxes. The Estate Reserve and Nahal Ranges communicate price points with silver and gold foil, respectively. The colour-coded M-range flaunts all the glorious varietals with style and elegance. This new brand truly reflects the winery, including its remarkable wines with honest contemplation. [Read More]


If you want to create a unique and eye-catching look for your wine label, you might want to use die-cut shapes or embossed details that add depth and interest. This will give your label a distinctive and memorable vibe that suits premium or limited-edition wines. Something like:

  • Heart shape: A romantic and lovely shape that shows your passion and emotion
  • Star shape: A festive and sparkling shape that shows your celebration and joy
  • Puzzle piece: A clever and playful shape that shows your mystery and challenge

Tip 3: Be consistent with your brand

Your wine label should not only reflect your audience but also your brand. You need to make sure that your wine label matches your brand identity, values, and story. You need to use elements such as colors, fonts, logos, icons, images, and words that fit your brand personality and voice.

For example, if your brand is playful and fun, you might want to use bright colors, quirky fonts, funny icons, cartoon images, and witty words on your wine label. You might also want to use humorous or punny stories that entertain your customers and make them smile. Something like:

  • The Grape Escape: A purple color, a comic font, a bunch of grapes icon, an image of grapes running away from a bottle opener, and a slogan that says “Run for your life”
  • Wine Not?: An orange color, a handwritten font, a question mark icon, an image of a person shrugging with a glass of wine in hand, and a slogan that says “Life is too short”
  • Cheers!: A yellow color, a bubbly font, a clinking glasses icon, an image of two people cheering with wine glasses in hand, and a slogan that says “Celebrate every moment”

Handwritten – SAUTE BERGÈRE NATURAL WINE

SAUTE BERGÈRE – NATURAL WINE

DOMAINE DE GARANCILLE has unveiled its last vintage free of sulphur, named ‘nature’. The designers from LINEA – The Spirits Valley took entire possession of the classic tag of the SAUTE BERGÈRE range letting their imagination run wild. The result is an elegant, simple and spontaneous bottle with handwritten annotations and naive illustrations and no complexes at all. [Read More]


If your brand is serious and professional, you might want to use dark colors, formal fonts, minimal icons, realistic images, and informative words on your wine label. You might also want to use factual or historical stories that educate your customers and make them trust you. Something like:

  • Bordeaux Grand Cru: A burgundy color, a serif font, a crest icon, an image of a vineyard in France, and a label that says “Aged in oak barrels for 18 months”
  • Sauvignon Blanc Reserve: A green color, a sans-serif font, a leaf icon, an image of a grape cluster in New Zealand, and a label that says “Harvested by hand at optimal ripeness”
  • Rosé Brut: A pink color, a script font, a star icon, an image of a champagne flute in Italy, and a label that says “Made with the finest Pinot Noir grapes”

Examples of killer wine labels

To inspire you more, here are some examples of killer wine labels from packagingoftheworld.com. These labels show different styles, stuffs, and messages that appeal to different peeps and brands.

APOGEU

The Apogeu wine label design was created by 43’oz Design Studio for the Moldavian winemaking company Vinaria din Vale. The label design emphasizes the premium character of the drink and the producer’s aspiration to embody all the best they have to offer in this wine. The label is constructed with just black and gold tones, employs a special pattern that transforms the label into a multifaceted and voluminous object. The application of modern post-printing technologies amplifies the effect this design has on the consumer, making them look at it from different angles and discover new facets of the design.

Find out more


PEACE ON EARTH & POETRY

The Peace on Earth wine label design was created by Nero Atelier. The design is inspired by the Christmas story and is simple, clean but still timeless. The use of gold & black colors makes premium wine by Nero Atelier more classy and luxurious. The Poetry of Christmas wine label design is unique and elegant. The use of duotone (black & gold) makes the poetry of Christmas work like a timeless work.

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3 RIOS

3 Rios is a wine born in the Minho – northern region of Portugal from Vinho Verde DOC. This wine was inspired by three rivers and created with the most influent vine varieties from each of these area. The Minho river with the Alvarinho vine variety, the Loureiro vine variety from the Lima river and the Avesso vine variety from the Douro river. The label “invites” the consumer to discover the rivers using a detachable, looking for an interplay between the consumer and the wine history ¹.

It is produced by Anselmo Mendes, a renowned winemaker in Portugal. The wine is described as soft, ripe wine that has great fruit, delicious pear and citrus flavors and refreshing acidity.

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UNSHACKLED WINES

Unshackled is inspired by the freedom to leave the rule book behind, a behavior that has always been expressed through The Prisoner Wine Company’s unconventional approach .

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VK WINE

The brand has grown and became prominent for its product quality and distinctive branding. Studio Size from Croatia has been overseeing the brand’s evolution for the past five years. The brand’s identity and packaging were updated to reinforce the brand’s image and new positioning as a winery&gallery.

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ALBUM DI FAMIGLIA

These photos are the origin of the story of our lives told through Family Photo Albums (Album di Famiglia). Every house has one of these albums, which witnesses vibrant narrations about memories of spectacular events and lives lived in a tight bond with the rhythm of nature and harvest. Album di Famiglia is a time-rip, a lasting and unbreakable connection with our roots, told through three genuine and biological wines from Apulia.

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IN&OUT

Spazio Di Paolo created a unique wine packaging for the Asian market that combines Western and Eastern cultures through the use of a legendary and sacred symbol such as the Carp. The carp is a widely appreciated animal in Eastern culture, not only for its beauty and colors but also for its meanings behind it, such as perseverance and luckiness. The carp is always moving forward and is considered one of the strongest and most energetic fishes. It’s capable of swimming against the currents, and thanks to that ability, it’s also interpreted as a nonconformist symbol that can easily overcome difficulties.

The packaging features a three-dimensional carp made of copper-colored metal that is alternated with a same-shaped cut in the paper, as if they were both part of a Tao symbol. The game of filled and empty shapes creates an interesting visual effect that adds to the overall appeal of the packaging.

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295

The label for this limited edition Garnacha wine was designed to express the essence of the town where the vineyard is located. The label features an illustration of the town’s population of 295 people, with 5 of them responsible for discovering and making known this wine jewel. The illustration was produced in a similar and individual way to impregnate the artisanal and particular spirit of this town into a wine with an equally unique flavor. The wine was created by five oenologists and wine enthusiasts who wanted to rescue traditional strains known as “Vinos de Pueblo” from the mountains and bring them to the great tables of Madrid.

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VIDILLA

VIDILLA is an organic wine from Gil Family Estates with the Rueda Designation of Origin. The wine is made from organic vineyards in one of the most recognized Spanish regions for white wines. The materials and printing techniques used in the packaging convey freshness, alignment with nature and simplicity. The support is the Watermark FSC, a Fasson paper with which they achieved a defined bas-relief and some transparencies in the illustrations of the insects with which they obtain different planes.

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DINAMITE COLLECTION

The Dinamite wine collection is a unique sparkling wine collection from the clay-limestone soils of Bairrada, Portugal. The concept of this 3 bottle edition comes from its own name – Dinamite. The identity developed for this project arose from the need to differentiate and number the three wines. Accordingly, 327 Creative Studio created 3 geometric sets – based on the dynamite silhouette – that became the face of this collection. The label has an overlay label with a “fuse” that you can pull and rip, revealing the name of the product. The fusion of the minimal style of the front label with the vintage approach on the back label makes it unique.

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In conclusion, a wine label is not just a sticker that tells you what’s inside the bottle. It’s also a way to attract customers, show off your brand, and tell a story. To make a wine label that rocks and gets people to buy your wine, you need to know your peeps, choose the right stuff, and be consistent with your brand. By following these tips and examples, you can create a killer wine label that reflects your personality, values, and vision. Cheers!🍷