From Koki Pen to AI-Designed Labels: How Rickety Bridge Wine Estate Transformed Their Wine Blending Experience
Rickety Bridge Wine Estate uses the Epson ColorWorks CW-C6000Ae to turn its Wine Blending Experience into a more professional, personalised and shareable guest experience.
A personalised finishing touch for a unique wine experience
Rickety Bridge wanted the final bottle guests take home from its Wine Blending Experience to match the quality and uniqueness of the experience itself. Epson ColorWorks made it possible to design and print professional personalised labels instantly.
About Rickety Bridge Wine Estate
Nestled in the Franschhoek Valley of the Western Cape, Rickety Bridge Wine Estate carries more than three centuries of history. The estate's origins date to 1694, with its independent winemaking legacy officially recognised from 1797.
Today, under the ownership of the UK-based Crosbie Family, who acquired the estate in December 2023, Rickety Bridge continues to build on that heritage with a diverse portfolio of award-winning wines including Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Semillon.
Wine tourism is integral to the estate's offering. Alongside its tasting room, cellar tours and bistro-style restaurant, Rickety Bridge offers wedding and corporate conference facilities, creating a well-rounded Franschhoek destination.
A unique experience deserved a better finishing touch
For more than five years, Rickety Bridge has offered a Wine Blending Experience where guests taste individual wine components, experiment with percentages and create a blend tailored to their own palate.
A blank label and a Koki pen
Once the wine was blended and bottled, the final presentation did not match the quality of the experience. Guests were handed a blank label and a Koki pen to write their name on the bottle.
The finished bottle needed to reflect the experience
“The Wine Blending Experience is a special and unique activity and deserves a quality finished product. A personalised label enhances this product. Prior to installing the Epson C6000, the labels used were blank and the guest had to write their name on them with a Koki pen. The end product was diminished with the basic label.”
— Ricardo Roux, Wine Tasting Centre & Club Manager
Epson ColorWorks CW-C6000Ae: professional quality, any quantity, on demand
Rickety Bridge evaluated both the Epson ColorWorks CW-C4000 and CW-C6000 before choosing the CW-C6000Ae.
Its durability, print quality and scalability made it the best fit for the busy tasting centre, where label requirements can range from a single bottle for a couple to approximately 50 bottles for a large group booking.
The printer is paired with an AI-assisted design tool. Guests now create their own personalised wine label during the blending session, and the finished design is printed immediately before they leave.
Durability, print quality and scalability
“We looked at both the C4000 and the C6000, but the C6000 best suited our requirements because of its durability, print quality, and scalability.”
— Ricardo Roux, Wine Tasting Centre & Club Manager
An unforeseen outcome: the label is growing the business
The improvement to the Wine Blending Experience was immediate. Guests enjoy designing their own label, and the creative step has become a highlight of the activity.
The quality of the finished bottle now reflects the care and craftsmanship that went into producing the personalised wine.
Rickety Bridge also discovered an unexpected marketing benefit. Guests photograph their custom-labelled bottles and share them on social media. These posts expose the experience to new audiences and have resulted in additional bookings.
The label printing part of the experience is actually growing the business
“The guests love the process of designing their own personalised label. The quality of the finished product is enhanced, thereby delivering a superior take-home, one-of-a-kind bottle of wine. A blending experience is normally a once-off event — a guest won't normally return a second time. However, what has transpired is that guests have been taking photos of their blended bottle with the label they designed and have shared this on social media platforms, which has led other people to book a blending experience when seeing how much fun it is. The label printing part of the experience is actually growing the business — which was an unforeseen result.”
— Ricardo Roux, Wine Tasting Centre & Club Manager
What changed after installing the Epson ColorWorks CW-C6000Ae
A flexible solution for multiple label applications
“The product is easy to set up, easy to use, and has great flexibility in printing a wide range of different labels on various substrates. It can be used for multiple label applications within your business, making it a viable purchase.”
— Ricardo Roux, Wine Tasting Centre & Club Manager, Rickety Bridge Wine Estate
Historic Franschhoek wine estate and hospitality destination
Rickety Bridge Wine Estate is an award-winning wine estate in the Franschhoek Valley, Western Cape, offering wine tasting, cellar tours, a Wine Blending Experience, bistro dining and premier wedding and corporate venue facilities.
For more information about the Wine Blending Experience, contact Ricardo Roux at wtcm@ricketybridge.com or call 021 876 2994.
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