The flight from Bad Dürkheim to Sylt
Weingut Hensel
A story by
Theresa Morand
Cooperation with
Weingut Hensel
Long beaches, sea air, the cry of seagulls – and wines from the Hensel Winery chilling in ice buckets. What could be more perfect? The wine labels too are in perfect condition with no bubbles, crinkling or softening of the paper. Hensel sales manager Patrick Dachnowski specifically wanted labels that could withstand chilling in ice buckets. Vollherbst introduced him to Monet X-dry.
Step 01
Brand & Personality
Upwind, high wind
and Icarus
A modern estate, with the best locations. Rooted in a strong family tradition, stretching over 300 years. A young team who likes to experiment, and who doesn’t mind gettin stuck-in with manual work. A wide open view from the Palatinate to the wine world and beyond: This is what you can expect from Hensel. Thomas Hensel is easy-going, likeable and principled - don’t mistake him as being aloof. Hensel’s collections, AUFWIND, HÖHENFLUG and IKARUS, were inspired by the small airfield next to his estate. A lot of manual harvesting keeps the winemaker grounded and the quality high. Contributing to this quality is a good amount of contemporary cellar technology - and ample patience. Quality and sustainability enjoy prominence. Backed by 300 years of family tradition, with winemaking dating back to as early as the 17th century, when Thomas Hensel's ancestors cultivated vines on a large scale in the Palatinate region. Here, grandfather and father grafted and sold vines until the their junior took flight as a top winemaker in the early 1990s, later assuming the lead role and ownership of his parents‘ winery.
Hensel wines are divided into three collections, each with an aviation theme: Aufwind, Höhenflug and Ikarus. The Aufwind (upwind) wines set the tone, while the Höhenflug (high wind) connoisseur wines soar above the clouds. The noble Ikarus wines, like the eponymous figure from Greek mythology, reach for the sun and are bottled only very rarely. Bold letters such as gb for Pinot Gris or i for Ikarus confidently take up a large part of the label, making the bottles instantly recognisable on the shelf. Eighty percent of Hensel wines are sold in specialist stores.
Step 02
Challenge
The delicate lines
of Ikarus
The label for Ikarus red wine consists of a powerful i as the body and gold hot foil embossed wings. Hundreds of fine sunbeams filter through the embossing in the background. The design is overarched by the words “Feels like heaven”.
Patrick, who has been with Hensel since 2008, had been looking for a printing company that could perfectly implement the filigree finishing for the premium Ikarus wine that costs 30-40 euros a bottle, and also offer a paper for the label that could survive the effect of chilling in an ice bucket. New paper was also needed for the Aufwind range of fresh, fruity white wines. “Our wines are often served at beach bars on the island of Sylt,” Patrick says. “The wines have to be chilled in an ice bath. Our original large white labels used to become soggy which looked terrible.”
Thomas understood the challenge. “We couldn’t use the most expensive cotton paper on the market,” he says. “Our labels are very large and wrap almost 360 degrees around the bottle. We were already price sensitive and had to go back to the drawing board.”
The alignment must be accurate to the last millimetre.
When labelling, we insert the labels and everything runs smoothly.Patrick Dachnowski
Weingut Hensel
Finest lines
golden details
Step 03
Solution
Monet X-dry
In 2017, Vollherbst came up with a solution for Hensel’s problem: a new paper type that retains its shape even in an ice bucket or bath. Monet X-dry is a natural white cellulose paper that doesn’t wrinkle or bubble, even when immersed in water or kept at low temperatures. After all this time, Patrick is still amazed by its qualities. “You pull the wine bottle out of the ice cooler after an hour and see the water beads dripping down the label. Super!” he enthuses. Vollherbst now preprints 750 000 to one million labels for Hensel at a time.
Print information
- Paper: Monet X-dry
- Finishing: Gold hot foil stamping
The imprinting, such as vintage and mandatory information, is done at another print shop in the Palatinate near the winery, resulting in a sensible cooperation between the print shops.
Step 04
Personal Touch
Uncomplicated, precise and innovative
Patrick comes from Baden and had already dealt with Vollherbst at his previous employer. “Vollherbst is uncomplicated,” he says. “They do what you expect. That’s why it was easy for us to switch to Vollherbst for our printing.” Precision is of the utmost importance. “The alignment must be accurate to the last millimetre. When labelling, we insert the labels and everything runs smoothly. No tears, no readjusting. To date, we’ve had no problems, from the beginning to the end.”
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Theresa
Morand
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