Cartes has received first prize in the Private Label category at the 2026 Vinitaly Design Award for its “ORO DEL SOL” label, developed in collaboration with Basile Adv.

Announced at Teatro Ristori in Verona as part of the Vinitaly exhibition, the annual competition recognizes excellence in packaging design across wine, spirits, beer, and olive oil. Now in its 30th edition, the program highlights the increasingly strategic role of packaging in brand positioning, consumer perception, and shelf differentiation.

According to Cartes, the “ORO DEL SOL” label was conceived not only as a design piece, but as a demonstration of what is possible when printing, embellishment, and converting are fully integrated into a single production workflow. The label was produced on the company’s GT360 modular platform, a multi-unit system engineered to execute complex, high-value label production in a single pass.

The GT360 platform combines a wide range of finishing and converting technologies, including high-build screen printing, braille, hot stamping and cast gold, embossing, lamination, perforation, and label-on-label application. The system also incorporates both semi-rotary and flatbed diecutting, along with laser diecutting technology — an area in which Cartes has been an innovator.

A key element of the production was the use of Cartes’ proprietary Jet D-Screen (JDS) digital embellishment system, which enables multi-level tactile effects up to 800 microns thick, as well as 3D metallic and doming effects—all without the need for traditional tooling. The ability to combine these effects with variable data capabilities further expands creative possibilities for short-run and premium applications.

“The real revolution is not only technical,” says Enrica Lodi, CMO of Cartes. “It is about bringing extreme creativity into industry and making it productive, scalable, and sustainable — even for short runs, especially when everything changes at the last minute.”

Lodi adds that the evolution of label production is moving beyond traditional print processes toward fully integrated transformation platforms that deliver added value and creative flexibility.

The award underscores a broader trend in the label industry, where converters are increasingly leveraging advanced embellishment and hybrid production platforms to differentiate products and meet growing demand for premium, high-impact packaging.