Wine is usually the alcohol of choice when one wants to celebrate an important events or occasions, making it a beverage that often associated with milestones. Wine is also a very complex drink and for wine lovers, each bottle is an experience in and of itself. As a way of remembering a memorable event or a particularly good vintage of wine, it’s but natural for people to try to get a souvenir to remind them of the event or experience. What better way to do that than by getting the wine’s label. This is of particular importance to wine connoisseurs who may want to remember a particularly good vintage. But getting the label off a bottle is much easier said than done. In order to peel off the wine label safely will require a certain amount of skill.
If you want to safely peel off the wine label off a bottle, the first thing you should do is to identify what kind of adhesive was used. Most wines from the New World employ pressure sensitive adhesive, while wines from Europe use glue. To get a better idea of what type of adhesive was used, peel off the back label. If the label remains sticky then it is adhesive that was used.
When removing a label that uses adhesive heat some water first then pour it inside the bottle until it reaches the top of the label. If it is possible use boiling water for this purpose. Just use a funnel to make sure that no spills happen. Allow the very hot water to stand for a few minutes so that the heat can have some time to melt the adhesive. To test if it is safe to start removing the label start with the back label. Carefully peel it off, using a sharp razor to help detach the label from the bottle. If the water is hot enough and it gets to melt the adhesive properly, it will be relatively easy to remove the label.
If the label, on the other hand, used glue you can also use the same method that was used for removing an adhesive label. Just pour boiling water into the bottle up to the upper part of the label. Here is where it will differ. Get the bottle and dunk it in a bucket filled with hot water. Make sure the water is enough to go past the label. Allow the bottle to stand in the water for a few minutes.
Now test if the glue has melted properly by trying to remove the back label. Use a razor to lift the label up and help detach adhered glue. When you’ve successfully removed the label, put it carefully on a bed of paper towels to help absorb the water and dry it quickly. You can also opt to just put the label directly on to a piece of paper where you plan to keep the label. The glue will still be sticky enough that the label will adhere to the paper. Be careful when placing the label so that it won’t get folded or wrinkled.
If, after using these methods you still can’t remove the label, do the next best thing – take a picture of the label.