Bob S. of NY writes .. I have been removing labels from wine bottles for almost 30 years, and as seen through the above e-mails, there is no hard and fast method. all of the above are effective, and I personally find the hot water method to be my first recourse, mostly because water from the tap is hot enough to do the job, and so it is convenient. I personally don't like soap, i find that it deteriorates the label much quicker than plain water does.

There is, however, a method almost everyone has encountered. ice and water! have you ever iced down that bottle of bubbly (talk about your stubborn labels) or that last minute shelf purchase from the local wine merchant. or had your selection in a restaurant plunged into a sweating bucket? the label usually falls off before the second glass is poured. a few bags of ice, and an empty cooler will usually take care of a party load of bottles in one sitting. again, it's not fool-proof, but if all else fails...

Dan H writes ... Try steaming the label off. This will give you two advantages if you are saving the label for whatever purpose. It will allow the adhesive to stay intact on the label, therefore making it rather easy to reapply the label to a scrapbook/frame, etc... Also, the label, no matter what form of paper it is constructed of, will stay in it's original form without discoloration, or fading that may be caused from soaking it in anything for too long.

A couple ways to steam: If you have access, the easiest way is a commercial grade steamer that any restaurant would use. Put the bottle in a restaurant steamer and the label will peel off in about 5 minutes like a sticker from wax-paper. If you have no friends in the restaurant business, then you can use a large stock pot with about 1" of water in the bottom. Take a coat hanger and form a loop around the neck of the bottle, just so the lip catches in the loop. Place the sides of the coat hanger out of the sides of the pot as to suspend the bottle in midair as the water below boils. This method usually takes a little longer (8-10 minutes) but works rather well. Happy label collecting! - Dan

Tim G sends this novel idea in ... I've used both the soaking method and the "label-off" adhesive (lamination) method and both have advantages/disadvantages. One method that doesn't work every time but, depending on the adhesive used, works well. First, completely soak the label in water then place the bottle in the freezer. Once the label is frozen, it should pop off with gentle persuasion. Flatten the label until it dries as per Art's recommendation.

I mount them with wall paper paste, and enjoy showing off my wine room. The wall has no specific pattern so that too adds to the uniqueness of the room.

Peter M. writes ...Just a small addition to you 'how to remove wine labels' correspondence.

I use a empty 2 liter plastic bottle of Coke, cut the top off, and I find it easily takes a wine bottle. I fill the wine bottle and plastic bottle with very hot water. Because the closeness in size, only a little hot water is needed for soaking.

Rob W., a home brewer sent in the following method ... I've been homebrewing beer for over 5 years and the easiest way I remove labels from these is to let them soak in a solution of household ammonia for one to several days.

I've had paper labels remove themselves easily (fall off) with this method, with no apparent damage to the labels. I use a 5 gallon covered bucket (from drywall compound), filling it up to the label tops with ammonia solution (you may need to fill the bottles with water to prevent floating). Add about a cup of ammonia to 5 gallons or so (concentration not critical), or proportionately less if using a smaller amount of water. The 'soda ash' mentioned above is trisodium phosphate (TSP) and is quite 'rough' on human skin. Ammonia is too, but as diluted above, comparably less so. In either case, use gloves to handle the bottle and label when retrieving them. A simple wash in cool water removes the solution, and the label may be pressed between clean white paper towels touching the label, then newspaper and a weight to press the stack.

You may have to put up with the ammonia smell (which is why I use a covered bucket), but the ammonia is less likely to damage the label than is TSP. Just my experiences in removing labels - good luck!.

Mike B. sent the following..

Common question. No method is completely reliable, but primarily I soak the bottles in hot water with a dash of bleach. A few labels will peel off after 15 or 20 minutes, many more can be scraped off with a razor blade/paint stripper kind of thing.

Some newer glues are unaffected by water but will melt enough to slide off the label after having been toasted with a blow-drier for five minutes.

Maximilian H from Augsburg sends along his hints on removing labels

I tried a lot to get wine labels from the bottles and I discovered a method similar to Art's, but I also discovered another method for a special type of labels.

I'm sorry for my bad English, especially for explaining a complicating problem as removing of labels.

I discovered three basic types of labels. One type is attached like a stamp on a letter, one like a self adhesive sticker and one like a mixture of both methods (lots of Californian and Spanish wines use this).

For the first and the third type Art's Soaking Method is the best (even without drying the label at the outside). The second like self-adhesive label is often used in France. If you look through the empty bottle at the labels back side, the glue is evenly applied in difference to type 1 and 3.Those labels can be removed completely dry and the glue is mostly good enough to stick the label on a piece of paper. If this method doesn't work, Art's Method can be applied afterwards without damage to the label.

Winston J. of Seattle Washington has shared the following:

In one of the wine catalogs that I get, was a system that uses pieces of pre-cut, clear adhesive tape that are larger than the label. You simply press these on and then pull the label off. The theory behind this is that you are actually separating the layer of paper with the label image on it from the layer that has the glue on it.

I found these to be some what expensive so I chose to make up my own tape, label removers. You simply go to any office supply store and a buy a roll of the clear, 3" wide, packing tape and do the following.

1. cut the tape into two strips that are about 4" wider than the label.
2. fill the bottle with very hot water ( trying not to get the label wet ) and be sure the bottle is wiped dry afterwards
3. put a strip of paper about 1/2" wide across each end so that the ends won't stick to the bottle
4. working from left to right ( or vice versa ) attach the tape to the bottle so that it just extends (about 1/4") above the top of the label and then bring the tape across the label, using some type of straight edge to smooth it out as you go.
5. Once you have the first strip in place, if it doesn't fully cover the label, attach a 2nd strip right under the first.
6. use the back of a spoon rub hard all over the label
7. starting at one edge, now slowly start to peal off the tape.
8. once the label is removed, you can trim the edges with a scissors and now you have a preserved label that you can mount.

Reginald M. from South Hampton, UK sends along this great use for his labels.

I enjoy paneling my wine room with my labels. I do this by using spray adhesive on the backs of the labels. I then place these on a 2' x 2' piece of 1/8" plywood. Once I have one of these pieces filled with the labels that I want, I then spray the entire piece very lightly with 2 coats of clear spray lacquer. I then mount these 2x2 panels onto my wall, the door to my cellar, etc.

Steven G wrote to say ....

I have a rather large wine cellar and am the head of a wine buying group of about 250 people, so I am fairly knowledgeable about wine although not a professional. I have a collection of wine labels which I paste in an artist's blank sketch book about 6 by 8 inches in dimension and about 100 some odd pages.

My purpose was not so much aesthetic or acquisitive, but to help my poor memory. I now have about 28 books filled, but they are also filled with the following information: when and where I tasted the wine, how much I paid for it, what were the circumstances, what was the food accompanying the wine, what do the pros think of the wine, and finally, what did I think of the wine.

My friends are all astonished about my brilliant taste memory, because I can refer back to any past tasted wine. The first dozen volumes are also indexed to make my references easy to find. I knew early in life that I was not too smart, but if I could have a system for every problem, I would at least appear smart. God how I have fooled so many people. best regards, Steve G.