FBS Knowledge

 WINE LABEL READING

1. Wine maker or winery: The company or firm that made the wine or, in some cases, the wine's                                                           trademark name.

2. Appellation: The country or region where the grapes for this wine were grown. This may be as broad as                           "California" or as narrow as a specific vineyard like "Trittenheimer Altärchen." Note,                                      however, that the California wine pictured here lists a more narrow appellation ("El                                        Dorado County") and takes advantage of the option to denote its specific vineyard source                           ("Wylie-Fenaughty") as well. The German wine also mentions its region ("Mosel-Saar-                                 Ruwer"). In most countries, wine-growing regions ("appellations") are defined by law, and                             wines made in these regions will carry legal language on the label such as "Appellation                                   Controlée" in France or "Denominazione della Origine Contrallata (DOC)" in Italy. Most                               regulations allow up to 15 percent of the wine to be made from grapes grown outside the                               area.

3. Vintage: This is the year in which the grapes were harvested, not the year in which the wine was bottled,                    which for some wines may be years later. Note that some countries add the local word for                            "vintage" to the label: "Cosecha" in Spain, "Vendemmia" in Italian. (Most national wine laws                           require that at least 85 percent of the wine be harvested in the year of vintage; up to 15 percent                     may be blended in from other years.)

4. Variety: The specific kind of grapes from which the wine was made. Not all wines disclose varietal                             content. Most French and Italian wines do not do so, for example, because the wine laws                             require the wines of each region be made from traditional varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon,                               Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petite Verdot and Malbec in Bordeaux, for example; Sangiovese and                     others in the case of Chianti, and the indigenous grapes Obidiah and Merwah in the offbeat                           Lebanese white wine from Chateau Musar pictured under "Other." Most countries allow the                         use of some non-varietal grapes in the blend. In most states of the U.S., for example, only 75                         percent of the wine's content must be of the named varietal. In Europe and Australia, the rule is                     usually 85 percent.

5. Ripeness: In a tradition known primarily in Germany and, in somewhat different form, Austria, some                             wines use special terminology to reflect the ripeness of the grapes and the quality of the                                 finished wine. The German wine pictured, for instance, is a "Kabinett," the lowest ripeness l                           evel in "Qualitätswein mit Prädikat," the highest quality level. For more information on the                               German system, read John Trombley's excellent article, Knowing the German Quality System                      for Wines. Some German wine labels will also show "Trocken" ("Dry") or "Halbtrocken" ("Half                      Dry") to denote wines vinified to less natural sweetness.

6. Estate bottling and winery information: If the wine is "estate bottled" (made from grapes grown and                         harvested in the winery's own vineyards), this will be disclosed with language on the label such                       as the French "Mise en bouteille(s) au Chateau;" the German "Gutsabfüllung"; or the English                     "estate bottled" or "grown, produced and bottled."

7. Other required information: This may vary widely depending on national regulations. German wines,                        for example, carry an "Amptliche Prüfungs Nummer (AP Number)," the serial number it                                received during official testing (barely visible on the right in the pictured label). French wines                          may carry their ranking from traditional classifications (such as "Grand Cru" or "Premier Cru" on                   qualifying Burgundies). The back labels of wines sold in the U.S. are typically decked out with                     required consumer warnings such as the notorious "Surgeon General's Warning" and notices that                   the wines contain sulfites. Wine labels also carry small print disclosing the wine's approximate                         alcoholic content and the size of the bottle, as highlighted on several of the labels photos.                               Imported wines in the U.S. normally bear the name and other information about the company                         that imported the wine.

8. Optional information: Additional information that may range from winemaker's notes or detailed                               analytical and tasting information to advertising hype are often featured on labels, especially the                     back label. Not to mention the ubiquitous UPC bar code!