The 3-mil polypropylene labels are supplied in roll form by Spear (Mason, OH). In a single pass on one press, Spear screen prints one color, prints the next four colors via letterpress, adds another color via metallic hot foil stamping, and finally screen prints two additional colors. The screen printing is used to provide ink opacity in the Almaden brand and variety copy. Hot stamping is used for the letter A that appears in the background. Letterpress provides the colorful details in the area around the Almaden name. That completes the front label. The back label includes a government warning, volume and bar code. A polyester release liner is used for the labels, which adhere to the bottles via a solvent-based acrylic adhesive. "The new clear label with ultra-premium graphics was designed to highlight the distinctive teardrop bottle shape, while retaining the Almaden seal and plaque," notes Lynn Fetterman of the Value Accountable Business Unit that runs Madera, CA-based Almaden Vineyards. "The bottle possesses tremendous equity, so we decided that a redesigned label could carry Almaden into the twenty-first century with a fresh, new look." Bottles are supplied by Ball-Foster Glass Container (Fairfield, CA). They're topped with a 3.5-mil tamper-evident band from Templock (Oxnard, CA). The coextruded polyvinyl chloride gold-colored band is printed flexographically in one color to match a color on the label. The band is applied over a bulb-top cork.
