How To Remove Wine Bottle Labels - KnowWines

If you’re a wine and craft beer enthusiast, a winemaker, or a crafter (or are just curious!), you may find yourself needing to remove wine labels from bottles. Here, we offer an overview and specific details on how to get a label off of a wine bottle for a variety of purposes. As you’ll see, there is no one-size-fits-all methodology for removing wine labels.

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Why remove the label from a wine bottle?

Wine enthusiasts and scrapbookers may want to remove a wine label to save it in a wine journal or scrapbook. Private-label winemakers remove labels for the purpose of re-use - they remove commercial labels from the bottle before adhering to their own. Last, artisans and crafters often use wine bottles or wine labels for crafts such as wine bottle glassware (affiliate link), wine tile coasters (affiliate link), or framed wine labels as wall or desk art (affiliate link).

What should I consider before removing a wine bottle label?

First, remember to keep the bottle you want to remove the label from! Far too often, a wine bottle disappears from the table or from the party before one thinks to save the label. Once the bottle disappears, the only option remaining is to send a self-addressed stamped envelope (via snail-mail) to the winery or restaurant and ask if they have an extra label from that vintage. Explain that you did not keep your bottle and that you want the label for your wine journal.

Next, determine if you are able to take the bottle home with you or if you must remove the label there at the event. Not being able to take the wine bottle home will significantly reduce your options for removing a wine label. Your only options then are the Lift-Off Method and the “kindly ask your server or sommelier if they can remove the label for you” approach!

Once you have the bottle home, you’ll need to assess the label and the associated adhesive. Determining which item you wish to keep - the label or the bottle - will dictate the method of removal you use.

How do I decide the method of label removal for a particular bottle?

What is the label constructed of? If the label is plastic (more like a sticker) it will be less permeable to water. If it is plastic, then removal will often require heat or physical means (such as a razor) regardless if you are trying to save the label or just the bottle.

If the label is paper, then it is more permeable to liquids and a different removal method may be needed depending on if you are trying to save the label or the bottle.

Labels adhere to wine and beer bottles through a variety of adhesive polymers. These include pressure-sensitive adhesives (sticker-like) and water-based glues. Since many of us are not adhesive experts, we will be assessing the label using visual assessment to guess the composition of the glue and to select the label removal method with the highest likelihood of success.

To assess the adhesive construction, take a razor or knife and lift a corner about ¼ inch. If the adhesive looks like traditional glue, the use of a detergent and water-based method can be considered. If the adhesive looks more sticker-like in consistency, then heat or physical means (razor, peeling) will be your best bet.

Wet Label Removal Methods

So, the label you want to remove from the wine bottle looks to be a more conventional glue composition - these label types are typically more water-soluble.

The OxiClean Method