Most people who order custom-labelled wine for the first time are surprised by how straightforward the process is. There’s no complicated briefing process, no long lead times if you plan, and no separate design invoice on top of the order. But it helps to understand what’s involved before you start, particularly if you’re working to a deadline or ordering for the first time.
Step 1: Choosing the Wine
The bottle carries your brand, so the wine inside matters. A label that looks great on a bottle of something unremarkable still leaves the recipient with an unremarkable wine experience.
Wine Design sources from the Hunter Valley, one of Australia’s most established wine regions, through preferred suppliers including Tamburlaine, Peterson House, Pokolbin Estate, and Kevin Sobels Wines. The range covers sparkling, white, red, rosé, organic, dessert, and fortified styles, plus spirits and water for non-wine options.
For corporate purposes, the choice usually comes down to a few practical questions: What’s the budget per bottle? What’s the occasion? Who’s receiving it? A Peterson House sparkling works well for celebrations and events. A Shiraz or Semillon Sauvignon Blanc suits a client thank-you. A dessert wine or fortified is a good choice for a premium gift that feels a bit different.
Pricing is transparent. The corporate range starts from $13 for select reds and whites and goes up to $28 for premium sparkling, and all pricing includes artwork, labelling, and GST. No hidden extras once you’ve chosen your wine.
Step 2: The Artwork Brief
The label design is included in the price, which means the artwork process happens as part of the order rather than separately.
What you bring to the brief:
Your logo
Ideally in vector format (.ai, .eps, or high-resolution .pdf). A logo pulled from a website at low resolution will produce a label that looks soft or pixelated in print. If you only have a low-res version, the design team can work with it, but vector files produce the sharpest result.
Brand colours
If your organisation uses specific Pantone, CMYK, or hex colour references, provide them. Colour accuracy across print and screen varies, and giving exact references means the label matches your brand rather than approximating it.
Any message or text
A thank-you line, a year reference, a recipient’s name for personalised bottles, a tagline, an event name, whatever text you want on the label beyond your logo.
Reference materials
If you have brand guidelines, share them. If not, pointing to your website or providing a business card gives the design team a clear reference for your visual identity.
From that brief, the team builds artwork options for your review. You provide feedback, changes are made, and the artwork is approved before anything goes to print. Nothing gets produced until you’ve signed off.
Step 3: Label Production
Once artwork is approved, the labels are produced using digital printing. Digital printing delivers accurate colour reproduction and clean fine detail. Important for logos with small text or tight linework that can look muddy with lower-quality print methods.
Labels are then applied to the bottles. The result is a finished product that looks considered and professional, not a generic bottle with a sticker added as an afterthought.
Step 4: Packaging
How the bottle is presented matters as much as the bottle itself, particularly for gifts that are handed over in person or sent to a client’s office.
Depending on the order, bottles can be presented individually or as part of a packaged set. Options like gift boxes, tissue wrap, and branded packaging are worth discussing if presentation is a priority for your program.
For conference take-homes and event gifts where volume and practicality matter more than individual presentation, standard packaging keeps costs and logistics manageable.
Step 5: Delivery
Wine Design delivers across Australia. For large orders, lead times and delivery logistics are worth factoring in early, particularly in the October to December period when corporate gifting volume is highest and turnaround times tighten.
For smaller or more time-sensitive orders, getting the artwork approved quickly is usually the step that determines the timeline. Once the label is signed off, production and dispatch move efficiently. The artwork approval stage is where delays typically happen, so having your logo files and brief ready when you make contact makes a real difference.
What the Whole Process Typically Looks Like
For a straightforward order (say, 50 branded bottles of a varietal red for end-of-year client gifts), the process usually runs like this:
- Contact Wine Design, confirm the wine selection and quantity
- Provide logo files, colour references, and any label text
- Receive artwork options, review, request any changes
- Approve the final artwork
- Labels produced and applied, order packed and dispatched
- Delivery to your office or directly to recipients
The total time from initial contact to delivery depends on artwork approval speed and order volume, but for standard orders outside of peak season, it’s a manageable timeline provided you’re not leaving it to the last week of November.
Getting Started
The full range of wines, spirits, and water available for corporate labelling, including pricing by variety. All pricing includes artwork and GST, with discounts available for larger quantity orders.
Call 1300 798 098 or submit an enquiry online to discuss your requirements and get the process underway.
