A bottle of wine or spirits is judged by its label before anyone tastes it, so the labeler has one job that cannot be done badly: a straight, wrinkle free label in the same place on every bottle.
This page is for the commercial winery or distillery choosing a wine bottle labeler or spirits labeler for product it sells. It is not for the hobby winemaker with a weekend of bottles. We supply Altech labeling machines, print and apply systems and coding equipment, and we service the machines we do not sell. We do not sell bottling, filling, corking or capping machinery, and this page says so where it matters.
Want your bottle and labels looked at before you buy? Book an equipment audit and we match a machine to the glass you actually run.
What does a winery or distillery line need labeled and coded?
A winery or distillery needs a front label, usually a back label, sometimes a neck label, then a date or lot code, a case label and a pallet label. The bottle labels are a precision job; the case and pallet are a coding and print and apply job.
The bottle. A front and back pair, or a wrap, on glass that is often tapered, shouldered or embossed. Placement relative to a seam, an embossed mark or the shoulder is frequently the real specification.
The case. A corrugated shipper with a date or lot code and, where a distributor asks for it, a scannable case label.
The pallet. A finished pallet label where the buyer requires one.
Which wine bottle labeler fits a winery or distillery?
For round bottles a wrap-around labeler fits, and for front and back labels on opposite faces a front and back labeler fits. Small producers running short bottling days suit a semi automatic kit; steady volume on a conveyor suits a complete ALline machine with gentle glass handling.
- Wrap-around. One continuous label around a round bottle. Our wrap around labelers page covers glass handling, spacing and why overlap is where wrap labels fail.
- Front and back. Two labels, in register, on opposite faces. If either label has to line up with a seam or an embossed mark, orientation hardware exists in the Altech range, and we confirm what your bottle needs before we quote. See two-sided labeling machines.
- Semi automatic. The Altech ALmatic C is a semi automatic wrap kit for cylindrical bottles from 12 to 110 mm in diameter. It suits a small producer, and it shares its head with the ALstep E, so it is not a dead end. See the ALmatic kits.
- Complete machine. The Altech ALline range provides complete linear machines, including the C for wrap around and the E for front and back. Altech publishes typical rates of 60 to 200 products a minute for the C and up to 500 for the E. See the ALline linear labelers.
- Heads. The ALstep and ALritma heads, and how to choose one, are on the automatic label applicator range hub.
How do you keep labels straight on tapered and shouldered glass?
Hold the bottle square, space it correctly and match the label to the shape. A tapered body spirals a wrap label, a shouldered bottle needs a hold that does not tip it, and an oval or embossed bottle needs orientation. Slowing the machine rarely fixes a handling problem.
Three things cause most crooked labels on glass. Bottles that touch each other on the way in and arrive at uneven gaps. A hold that lets a light or tapered bottle turn. And a label length that does not suit the circumference, so the overlap opens or wrinkles. Our wrap page explains each, and we ask for a bottle and a label before we quote because the bottle decides the machine.
Clear labels on clear glass, which are common on wine and spirits, can defeat an ordinary gap sensor. That needs sensing built for transparent stock, a specific part rather than a setting, and we ask about it early.
What do we not sell, and when does a wine or spirits line need another supplier?
We do not sell fillers, corkers, cappers, capsule or foil spinners, shrink sleeve applicators, cold glue labelers, case packers or palletizers. A fully integrated bottling line, or a line running faster than Altech's published rates, needs a different supplier for those machines.
Altech's fastest published ALline rate is up to 500 products a minute for the E front and back machine; the C wrap machine is typically 60 to 200. Many craft wineries and distilleries may sit inside that. If yours does not, we say so on the first call. We stay with labeling, print and apply, pallet labeling and coding, and we service the machines we do not sell.
How do you code and label cases and pallets for wine and spirits?
Code the shipper with a thermal inkjet printer, and print and apply a label where the case or pallet needs a barcode that must scan. Coding costs less per case; a label is the safer answer when a distributor needs a scannable symbol.
Our coding and marking page covers thermal inkjet printers, the water based ink for uncoated corrugate, and when to choose a label instead. Print and apply labeling prints a variable label and applies it as the case passes. Pallet labeling is a separate machine, and the label formats are explained in our GS1-128 and SSCC guide.
We do not sell continuous inkjet or laser marking, and we will not promise a code on the glass itself until it has been tested on your bottle.
What do distributors expect on a wine or spirits case?
Requirements differ by distributor and retailer, so ask for the written label specification before you buy. We do not state a universal rule for wine and spirits cases. GS1 US publishes the North American guidance that defines a GS1-128 case label where a buyer asks for one.
See GS1 US's North American guidance for case code labeling. Label content and any government label approval are your responsibility and are not something we review; we match the machine to the label you have.
Semi automatic kit or automatic labeler: which should a producer buy?
A semi automatic kit is right for short bottling runs and small batches. An automatic labeler is right when labeling sets the pace of the line or placement has become a specification. A kit that shares a head with an automatic machine lets you start small without a dead end.
Ask how many bottles a day and days a year you run, whether someone handles every bottle anyway, and how precisely the label must land. If you bottle a few hundred on a handful of days, a kit is correct, and we will tell you so even though it is the smaller sale.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best wine bottle labeler for a small winery? The one matched to your bottle, label and volume. For short bottling days a semi automatic wrap kit is usually enough. For steady volume on a conveyor an automatic wrap or front and back labeler fits. We ask for the bottle and label before naming a machine.
Can one machine label wine and spirits bottles? Often, if the bottle shapes are similar and the machine has format changeover. Different shapes, such as round and oval, may need different handling. Bring us each bottle you run.
Do you sell bottling lines or fillers? No. We sell labeling, print and apply, pallet labeling and coding equipment, and we service Altech, Label-Aire 3100 applicators and 5100 systems, PackLeader, CTM and Tach-It machines.
Can you apply a front and back label in register with a seam or embossed mark? Orientation hardware exists in the Altech range. We confirm what your bottle needs before we quote, and we ask about registration first.
How much does a wine labeling machine cost? It depends on the class (a kit, a head on a conveyor or a complete ALline), the label size, the sensing and the handling. We quote once we know the bottle, the label and the volume.
Can you label clear labels on clear glass? It needs sensing built for transparent stock, because a standard gap sensor can miss it. Tell us the label stock and we specify the sensor.
Do you serve wineries outside the Pacific Northwest? Yes, any US producer. Our field service base is the Pacific Northwest, and out of area buyers can still ask us.
Can you service a labeler we already own? Yes, on the brands we service. See our labeler repair and service page.
Bring us the bottle and the label
Send the bottle, the front and back labels, the rate and the days a year you bottle, and we tell you which machine fits, including when a kit is enough. Call 253-709-5566, or request an equipment audit.