Wine label design, with the mandatory information built in
An option for wineries launching a wine or redesigning a range: front and back labels designed together, so that legal sizes, the field of vision and the QR code never have to be squeezed in at the last minute.
A specialist replies within 24 business hours. No commitment.
Why design the front and back label together?
Because the regulation shapes the layout: minimum character heights, particulars that must be read together, room for allergens, energy value and the QR code. Planned from the first sketch, they cost nothing. Added at the end, they spoil the design or force a reprint.
Designers are trained to make a bottle stand out on a shelf, not to read Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013. Templates and AI tools give you a nice front label and leave the legal text to you. We start the other way round: we list every mention the wine needs for its markets, measure the space they take at the legal size, and design around it.
Which legal constraints change the design?
Four of them, mostly: the minimum height of the characters, the field of vision for the name, alcohol and volume, the space for allergens and the energy value in several languages, and a QR code large enough to scan with the word “ingredients” next to it.
- x-height of at least 1.2 mm for mandatory particulars, 0.9 mm on small containers (Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011, art. 13).
- Alcoholic strength: figures at least 3 mm high on bottles between 20 cl and 100 cl (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33).
- Name of the wine, alcohol and nominal volume readable together, without turning the bottle.
- Allergen wording in each language of sale, and national mentions such as the French pregnancy pictogram.
- A QR code with a quiet zone, and contrast enough to scan in a dim cellar or shop.
What does the design option include?
- A short brief on the wine, the range, the markets and the shelf it will stand on.
- Two directions for the front label, then refinements.
- The back label laid out with all particulars, checked by a specialist.
- Print-ready files for each format, with dielines and the e-label QR code in place.
- Files you own, reusable for the following vintages.
How does the design work, step by step?
A brief, two directions, refinements, then the back label with all particulars checked by a specialist, and print files. You approve each stage before the next one.
- Brief: the wine, the range, the markets, the bottle, the shelf.
- Two directions for the front label, as sketches on your bottle model.
- Refinements on the chosen direction.
- Back label: text for each market, checked, laid out at the legal sizes.
- Print files and e-label QR code, ready for your printer or ours.
What makes a back label easy to read?
A clear order (name and designation, allergens and energy, QR code, bottler and lot), enough contrast, a typeface with a generous x-height, and white space around the QR code. Readers look for the allergens and the QR first; designers often bury them under the story of the estate.
Can you design a whole range?
Yes. A range shares a typography, a paper and a layout, with one element changing per wine: a colour, an illustration, the name. Designing the back label once as a system means each new wine only needs its own values, not a new layout.
How much does wine label design cost?
Public prices vary widely: from about €50 to €400 on freelance platforms, €300 to €1,500 for a local freelance designer, and €2,000 to €6,000 for an agency building a full identity. We quote the design option after the brief, separately from the yearly back label and e-label.
I already have a front label I like. Can you keep it?
Yes, and that is the most common case. We keep your front label, check that it carries what it should, and design only the back label to match its typography and paper. If something on the front is missing or too small, we point it out with the source.
How it works
1
Send your current label
A photo or PDF, plus the countries where you sell. The check is free.
2
We write it, a specialist checks it
Back-label text per country, e-label page, proof to approve. Nothing is printed before you sign off.
3
Printed, hosted, updated
Labels delivered or files for your printer, e-label online, updated at each vintage.
Questions from winemakers
Do I own the design files?
Yes. Once the design is paid, the files are yours, and you can print them anywhere.
Can you design labels for a new wine before the first analysis?
Yes. We design with placeholder values and finalise the energy value and the ingredients once the analysis of the bottled wine is available.
Sources
Selection criteria: we cite official texts first (EUR-Lex, national law portals), then named surveys with their publisher.
Send us your current label
A photo or a PDF is enough. We tell you what is missing for each country where you sell, and what it would cost to fix.
Label check: Free · Back label + e-label: from €290 / year
A specialist replies within 24 business hours. No commitment.