Kelly-Anne Kidston
Place the wine bottle on a cookie sheet (or in a baking dish so it is not rolling around in a dry oven) at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes. Remove the bottle from the oven and check the readiness of the label for removal by testing the back label. Slip a razor or knife under the label and start to peel slowly from one corner. Donât force the label or push with your fingers as this is how labels get crinkled during removal. If the label does not give, give it another 5 minutes in the oven. If after 15 minutes the label will not come off, you will have to use another method (like the OxiClean method) as the adhesive needs to be dissolved to come off cleanly đ [1]
After removing all the labels, use your favorite adhesive removal product to clean off the glue residue. I wish I could tell you to run out and buy a bottle of Thoro, because it is truly the best product I have ever used for removing anything sticky , but sadly Thoro is no longer made. I have two bottles in one of the drawers under my sink and I treat them like liquid gold! It will be a sad, sad day when I eventually run out. All that said, Goo Gone or your adhesive remover of choice should do the trick. (modified by Joab James on July 25, 2021) [2]
Whatever method you choose to remove your wine labels, remember that none of them are foolproof. Before you roll up your sleeves, it’s best to take a photo of the label so at a minimum, you have a digital visual of the label in case things go wrong. When it comes to removing the label, you can try either dry or moisture methods. With either, take your time to minimize the risk of messing up the label. When deciding which method to use, consider what material the label is made of. If it has more of a plastic/sticker feeling, it may be best to physically remove it by way of a razor blade. If it’s paper, it’s more permeable to liquid, and a soak method may be the way to go. (emended by Brittany Miller from Belo Horizonte, Brazil on September 5, 2021) [3]
Results: After 25 minutes of steamingâ10 on the back side, 15 on the front, one label peeled off with ready-to-mount perfection. Only a trace of glue residue was to be found. The other wine bottle was clearly not ready and got sent back into the steamer (we suggest using a pasta-draining pot-in-pot to hold the bottles). The longer you steam, the cleaner the peel, although after some 25 minutes with a certain bottle of Chilean Malbec, we were ready to call it quits. If you’re looking to save labels, steaming and baking are the way to go. If you’re trying to plow through, you’re better with a soak. Only one out of three bottles peeled cleanly within 30 minutes of steaming. (last emended 61 days ago by Brennen Elmore from Surakarta, Indonesia) [4]