Guala Closures brings affordable digital printing to small wineries
Key takeaways
- Guala Closures has introduced Digital Printing technology, enabling affordable, high-quality bottle customization for small winemakers and boutique wineries.
- Overcoming barriers like high minimum order quantities, the new technology supports unique, premium packaging for limited-edition or seasonal wine batches.
- Guala Closures offers consultancy services to guide small wineries in selecting closures and liners, ensuring optimal wine preservation and quality.
Guala Closures has expanded its services to small winemakers and boutique wineries. The beverage closures provider now offers Digital Printing technology which aims to help small wineries achieve premium customization.
The company says it is removing “long-standing” barriers to high-end bottle customization for producers of small volumes.
Guala Closures points out that in the EU, over 83% of wine-growing businesses cultivate less than one hectare of vineyard land. “These wineries, often at the forefront of wine innovation, have historically faced limitations in differentiating their bottles on crowded retail shelves.”
“We bring premium innovation within reach of small wineries, which not only represent the majority of wineries, but also the very places where genuine wine evolution and bold breakthroughs take shape,” says Arturo Martorelli, chief commercial officer at Guala Closures.
“This is part of our vision, democratizing access to advanced closure solutions, empowering winemakers — regardless of production scale — with the design freedom and technical precision needed to compete successfully in global markets”.
Affordable customization
Traditional wine packaging customization methods, such as serigraphy (silk-screen printing), require high minimum order quantities, often around 100,000 units. This process generates additional set-up costs, making it impractical for small-scale production.
The new Digital Printing technology allows minimum orders from as low as 1,000 pieces, removing set-up costs entirely, and enabling decoration to begin immediately. The company says small wineries can achieve premium customization previously available only for large-scale industrial production.
Guala Closures describes the technology as offering an “unlimited” colour palette and high photographic resolution, resulting in intricate patterns, subtle gradients, and distinctive branding with accuracy.
Boutique wineries can implement the technology to create limited-edition, special seasonal batches, and premium packaging lines.
Boutique client support
Guala Closures consultancy service guides winemakers through the process of selecting closures, including advice on the choice of liner and its Oxygen Transmission Rate (OTR).
The OTR ensures that the closure supports the wine’s intended ageing and preserves its distinctive characteristics, according to the company.
Guala Closures also offers a “no-equipment” advantage, allowing small producers to trial screw caps without the need for expensive capping machinery.
Wineries transitioning from traditional cork to screw caps can receive tailored technical assistance, including support in finding mobile bottling services for the winery’s premises. This is said to make the change smooth and cost-effective while safeguarding the integrity of the wine.
