They say “it’s what’s inside that counts the most.” Sure, what’s inside is the most important part, but that doesn’t mean what’s on the outside of your wine bottle doesn’t count for something. The fact is, when wine is shared with friends and family, the label will be judged before the wine. That first impression can have a profound impact on others’ perception of your wine. And when sitting around a table enjoying a bottle of vino, that half-filled bottle often sits on the table at the center of the conversation, and if the label is intriguing, it may even carry the conversation.
So, if we can all agree that labels are important for improving the experience of drinking (and making) wine, then the question is, “What makes a great wine label?” Well, we at WineMaker have been judging label entries for our annual competition for the last 19 years and have seldom had consensus among us about which label is most deserving of the top prize. Stylistic and easy-to-read fonts, images that are clear, unique, and related to the wine inside the bottle, and bad puns all get props. But, when it comes to what about a label speaks to an individual, it’s often different from person to person. Which made this year unique, in that the decision was unanimous among everyone around the table when selecting the Grand Champion label from Jake Flaherty. The label is fun, personal, tells a story about the winemakers, and is visually appealing. However, after picking the top winner we had our work cut out for us selecting the best among a crowded field of entrants that was larger than any contest in recent memory. After we were done selecting our favorites, we let our social media followers finish the judging by selecting their favorite for the Reader’s Choice award.
This competition wouldn’t be the success it is every year if it weren’t for all of the winemakers who send us their labels, as well as the sponsors who generously donate prizes for the winners. To all of you, we owe a huge Thank You!
Grand
Jake Flaherty
Albany, California
Gold
Michael Bachleda
Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania
Silver
Becky Nohava
Bozeman, Montana
Bronze
Michael Life
Junction City, Kansas
Readers Choice
Thom Harding
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Honerable Mention
Bob Joakimson
Concord, California
Byron Barnes
San Antonio, Texas
Chris Piantek
Middletown, Connecticut
Cody Shive
Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Dave Sienknecht
San Jose, California
David & Cyndee Milam
Danville, California
David Noone
San Ysidro, California
Dean Scott
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Gail Sacharczuk
Holland, Pennsylvania
Jeremy Burdick
Massillon, Ohio
Kathy Dunn
Boston, Virginia
Larry Roux
North Syracuse, New York
Robert Adams MD
Carmel, California
Ronald Marvin
Bakersfield, California
Steve Perkins
Santa Rosa, California
Sure, what’s inside the bottle may be the most important part of winemaking, but the presentation of your homemade wines tells others that your wine is important to you, that you’ve spent time on it, and are proud of the contents. The label, like gift-wrap on a present, is the first impression others will take from your wines, and as such, they are an important piece to the winemaking hobby. For that…
You are already proud of the wine you made, but when it comes time to share or gift your wine, you want to be proud of the packaging too. Use these tips from label design pros to get you started.
