Germany winery releases 800th vintage

Dionysus and Bacchus were the Greek and Roman gods of wine, marking the drink’s influence back to the ancient times. But, it wasn’t until the 1200s when wine became a product and vintners began selling vino. In fact, according to the Huffington Post, the oldest operating winery in the world has just released its 800th vintage, an event worthy of its own custom label.

According to the source, the Schloss Vollrads winery in Germany began crushing grapes in 1196 after the First Crusade. In 1211, the company made its first sale to the St. Victor Monastery in Mainz, which has since blossomed into a major city.

To give perspective, four years later the Magna Charta was signed in Britain. About 100 years later Dante wrote his Divine Comedy and about 230 years later the printing press was finally invented, allowing the winery to finally begin printing its own custom labels.

While most German wine brands will use a Gothic typeface on their wine bottles, this has been ditched for the winery’s 800th vintage. Instead the company will use a very clear typeface on an off-white background with a forest green border. In the center is the vintner’s crest in full color. The contrast between the black and white label and typography with the red, white and blue colors of the crest make it pop off the label, and, therefore, the shelf.

While, after 800 different varietals, the winery is sure to have developed a strong customer base over the years, using custom labels to signify special or commemorative products is a great way to increase sales and convert casual customers into loyal ones.

If other wineries wish to celebrate milestones with not only a limited-edition line but also custom wine labels, they may want to invest in a Primera LX400 color label printer to produce high quality labels.