Wine label reading
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 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!
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