White remains by far the dominant label colour for wine and spirits producers, and the number of white label materials has just increased with the addition of five important new 'White Rainbow' products to the Avery Dennison wine labelling range.
Two new paper-based products ('Rustique Extra White FSC' and 'Martelé Extra White FSC'), give designers a new whiter-than-ever shade for wine labelling applications. A new tree-free 'Pure Cotton' material is also available, which has been evaluated at 30% higher whiteness when compared with other 100% cotton fibre wine labels on the market today (CIE Whiteness (Dry) – ISO 11475). Pure Cotton has the same printability as paper but the highest level of embossing.
Attractive patterns are also included in the range: the new 'True Linen FSC' material has a natural and elegant textile finish, and 'Pampa FSC' offers a rich and luxurious feel with its micro diamond shape.
Fabien Bourgies, global director Wine & Spirits, said that the new materials offer the technical and aesthetic performance needed to stand out in a crowded market: "With these White Rainbow label materials, Avery Dennison now offers brand owners and designers new opportunities to make their products really leap out from a retail shelf, and communicate a very pronounced brand identity. Retailers know that consumers spend more time looking at wines if the area is softly lit, with a 'cellar-like' atmosphere, and the performance of a white label material can be pivotal in these conditions – the right material choice will make a bottle stand out in minimal light levels."
The new range will be valuable to a large proportion of brand owners: 80% of wine labels are currently white, in no small part because the colour conveys a sense of authenticity and premium quality.
Bourgies said that subtle improvements to materials are important: "Consumers can perceive very small differences between whites, and these products give label designers useful new choices, especially when thinking about communicating a sense of luxury. The extra-white labels offer an exceptional level of contrast, and the two new materials with elegant diamond patterns allow fine printing details to be reproduced with very high accuracy."
