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Hello there! I'm Dr. Vinifera, or "Vinny" for short. Ask me your toughest wine questions, from the technical aspects of winemaking to the fine points of etiquette. I hope you find my answers educational and even amusing. Want to see more of them? Check out my archive. And here are my most Frequently Asked Questions.
Dear Dr. Vinny,
I recently purchased a wine journal that came with label removers. Disappointingly, they don't "magically" take the label off of a bottle. I've had to take a razor blade and then get the edges started to have any success at all. Is there a better way to remove wine bottle labels to save in my journal?
—Julie, Bozeman, Mont.
Dear Julie,
Alas, there is no magic. Devices to remove labels tend to be nothing more than glorified packing tape, designed to rip off the top layer of a label. If you want to remove a label, you need to know if you're working with a label that is glued on, or if it's more like a sticker. For labels that are glued on, soaking the bottle in warm water for 20 to 30 minutes should do the trick. If the label is like a sticker, either grab your razor blade, or try to melt the adhesive with a hair dryer first and then grab your razor blade.
—Dr. Vinny
Do you have a question for me? Fire away!
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