It’s not just the consumer who might be devoting strict attention to the contents of your wine labels and other important bits of packaging. The Wall Street Journal recently profiled a professional whose specialty is verifying the authenticity of different vintages of wine. Since the prestige associated with well-known brands can lure criminals, it’s important to remember that your product could be imitated in an attempt to take advantage of its brand.
But, if winemakers are aware of the tell-tale signs that can alert consultants like Charles Curtis to their authenticity, they could invest more time into ensuring there are no mistakes—even slight ones—and think twice about simple labels that are easy to copy.
Curtis employs many different techniques that take the whole of the bottle into consideration, including examining the cork for evidence of reuse and comparing labels against each other. But this can be difficult when criminals deliberately use old bottles to try and fool the experts.
Fraudulent wine merchants aren’t just limited to street level, one-on-one exchanges. Western Farm Press recently recounted the case of Rudy Kurniawan, who made millions off of imitation wines before being apprehended last year. It seems this was a huge and complex operation with significant costs, and the prospect of equally serious criminal charges.
With a color label printer and matching label applicator, a wine company can keep control over the process of production. And since this form of equipment can allow labels to be placed on smoothly, it can also be a way to minimize flaws and inform buyers of your brand’s authenticity.
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