Custom Bottle Neck Tags

Card Weights and Surfaces That Survive a Chiller

Neck tags lead a harder life than most printed cards. White wine and soft drinks sit in fridges where condensation forms on the glass, and anything shelved near a door gets knocked by shoppers and staff. A heavy uncoated card looks handsome on a craft spirit but will soften in a wet chiller, so for cold drinks we recommend a coated card with a matt or gloss lamination on both sides.

Thicker board also makes the tag hang straight. A flimsy tag curls towards the glass and hides its own message, whereas a stiff one stands proud of the bottle. Kraft card gives a rustic look that suits farm shops, cider makers and small-batch preserves, and white card holds fine type and photography for wine merchants and delis. Our board guide lists the coated card grades for chillers alongside plain stocks.

What to Print on Each Side

Treat the front of the tag like a shelf talker: a short headline, your brand mark and one reason to buy. The back has more breathing space for detail, so this is where a tasting note, a serving suggestion, a QR code to a recipe page or a web address belongs.

Keep text at a size that can be read at arm's length. A tag that tries to fit a paragraph on the front looks busy and gets ignored. Many brands run a set of tags in the same layout with a different colour band for each flavour or vintage, which helps a retailer spot the right stock on a crowded shelf and lets you reuse one design across the range. If the tag will carry a price sticker in store, leave a plain area on the back so the retailer's label does not cover your message. Gold or silver foil on the logo and a spot gloss on a key word catch the light under shop lighting without adding much to the cost. Keep the tag wording short and let the main self-adhesive label carry the legal text.

Using Bottle Neck Tags for Promotions and Gifting

Tags earn their keep when there is something to announce. A distillery launching a new botanical can hang a tag on its flagship gin pointing shoppers to the new bottle. A wine shop can tag a mixed case with 'staff pick' notes. Caterers and wedding planners use small tags on favour bottles of oil, limoncello or juice, printed with names or a short thank-you.

Gift hampers are another strong use. A tag on each bottle in a hamper tells the recipient what the item is and how to use it, which makes the whole gift feel more considered. For corporate gifts, a tag carries the client's logo next to yours without relabelling the product. For gift sets, a tag on each bottle inside a gift box for bottle sets adds a second layer of branding.

Applying Tags at the Bottling Bench

Think about who puts the tags on before settling the design. On a small production run, tags usually go on by hand after capping and labelling, and a tag that needs to be threaded with string or ribbon can double the time spent per bottle. A die-cut hole or slit that simply drops over the cap is far quicker, and it can still look premium if the card and finish are right.

If you supply bottles to a retailer, ask whether they want tags fitted before delivery or packed loose in the case. Some buyers prefer to hang their own promotional tags in store, so a loose bundle with each case gives them the choice. For bottles sold online, a tag that lies flat against the shoulder survives the journey in a cardboard shipper much better than a long dangling one. Shops that sell bottles singly often add a counter display box at the till so tagged bottles are seen.

Wrap a Paper Strip Round the Neck Before You Choose a Cut

Neck tags are quick to order if you measure the right thing. Wrap a strip of paper around the neck where the tag will hang, mark the overlap and measure it flat, then do the same at the widest point the tag must pass over, which is usually the cap, cork or swing-top. Those two figures decide whether a plain hole, a slit-and-hole or a collar cut is right. If the bottles are sold chilled, say so, because a coated card with lamination survives condensation where plain card goes soft. Tags that carry a recipe or discount code should keep the back panel free of foil so it stays easy to read, and a matching printed product label can share the same colours.

Send the measurements, the number of designs and your artwork, and a custom quote arrives by email within one working day. The free proof shows the cut line and hole position over the artwork. Tags are printed in 4 to 7 working days from approval, delivered flat by tracked courier, and misprints reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded.