New labelling application for cool wine bottles

Avery Dennison Label and Packaging Materials has introduced an Aqua Stick portfolio, designed to ease the process of applying labels to wine and sparkling wine bottles when they are cooler than their surroundings and slick with surface condensation. The new portfolio seeks to avoid the time-consuming and costly practices required to prevent condensation during labelling.

“This new portfolio was developed in close collaboration with wine and sparkling wine brand owners, and takes careful account of real-world conditions faced by adhesives and facestocks,” said Fabien Bourgies, Avery Dennison’s global wine and spirits segment director. “With Aqua Stick, we are seeing scrap reductions and faster changeovers, with unique improvements to operational performance for these types of applications.”

Wine and sparkling wine bottles often drop below ambient temperature during label application, and this temperature difference can lead to surface condensation problems and a weakened bond between label and bottle. Dispensers often experience inconsistent label positioning and higher scrap rates as a result.

Materials in the Aqua Stick portfolio use Avery Dennison’s unique Z3338 emulsion adhesive. Engineered for variable temperature and humid environments, Z3338 actively absorbs any surface moisture present, removing the need to bring bottles up to room temperature. The adhesive allows in-line processing at up to 600 bottles per minute, with consistent label positioning. Even the exit of the labelling tunnel, where further condensation often appears, poses no problem.

The performance improvements continue all of the way through a bottle’s lifecycle. Z3338 can withstand exposure to an ice bucket or cold box, and keep the label firmly in position.

Three premium facestocks are currently available for Europe in the new Aqua Stick range: Fasson 60# Uncoated Litho WS, MaxFlex Bright Silver and Sparkling Asti.