Because the wine label is usually in foreign languages, people always complain that they don't know what is written on the wine label, which is a big problem, what if you buy something you don't like! If you know most of the world's wine regions, wineries, and grape varieties, it's not a big problem to read the label. What about those wine beginners? I'm afraid I won't be able to learn so much systematically in a short period of time. Today, the purpose of this article is to teach lovers of wine how to read the label.
What's on the label?
Depending on the naming method of the wine, the label type can be divided into two main categories: one is named after the brand (Brand) and the other is named after the place of origin (such as AOC and VDQS in France, DOC and DOCG in Italy, QbA and QmP in Germany, etc.). Wines named after brands will indicate the wine grape variety on their logo, while wines named after the country of origin will indicate the quality of the wine on their positive labels with the help of their appellation of origin.
Typically, the 5 basic elements of a wine label include producer or chateau estate (Producer/Chateau/Domaine), Region, grape variety or Appellation, vintage (Vintage/NV) and alcohol content (ABV).
What to look at when looking at wine labels?
Perhaps, when we see a bottle of wine at a glance, the first thing we look for is its name. But if it's not a world-renowned brand, or if the name of the wine has nothing to do with the vineyard, the winery, or anything like that, then you simply can't get any information from the name of the wine. For example, the "Just for the Love of It" and "Poker Face" wines at Sine Qua Non in California, can you get information about the producer, region, and grape variety of the bottle from these two names?
01
year
Vintage is the vintage vintage from which the wine was harvested. Familiarity with the different vintages will help you learn more about the wines. For different wine regions, the year of each vintage is different, and the better vintages in Bordeaux, France are: 1900, 1921, 1947, 1961, 1982, 1986, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2009. Overall, the quality of vintageless wines (NV) is not high, as these wines are mostly blended from several vintages in order to enhance the flavor of the wine. The vintage of the wine is usually also the age of the bottle. The vintage of the wine is sometimes written on the positive or back label, and sometimes there is a separate label on the neck of the wine to indicate the vintage.
02
Producing areas
The appellation information indicates the region where the grapes are made. Whether it is the Old World appellation (France, Italy, Spain, Germany and other established European wine producing countries) or the New World appellation (the United States, Australia, South Africa, Chile, Argentina and other wine producing countries that have risen in the past two or three hundred years), the more specifically the appellation information on the wine label indicates that the higher the quality of the wine, of course, the higher the price.
Many wines, whether on the right or back of the bottle, will be written on the appellation. Wines from California, for example, generally have the names of Napa Valley, Paso Robles, Sonoma, or other California appellations written on the label. If you don't know the regions and sub-regions of the world's various wines very well, you can find words such as "Appellation d'origine contrôlée" (AOC) and "Denominazione di origine controllata" (DOC), which are words that indicate the appellation, and usually the first line of these words is the region of the bottle.
Some wines also mark the vineyard of their chosen grape. This indicates that all the grapes that make this bottle of wine come from the same vineyard. If the vineyard is marked, it means that the grapes produced in this vineyard have a distinct personality and the wine produced is of high quality.
03
Producer (winery, estate)
This information tells you the provenance of the wine, which is usually marked in a conspicuous position on the label in some New World appellations such as the United States, and in some Old World appellations in Europe, it is often introduced in a small paragraph at the top or bottom of the wine label (except bordeaux, France, where the winery or estate and its sub-appellation are the top priority of the wine label).
04
Grape variety or place of origin
This information indicates the grape variety chosen to make the wine. Grape varieties are generally labeled in California, Oregon, Alsace, Germany, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, etc.; in Europe, most wines do not indicate the variety, but the appellation. Furthermore, blended wines do not indicate all blend varieties and their percentage content. If no variety is marked, look at the origin information of the wine, because according to the origin nomenclature, the wine grape variety in the area is determined. There are currently 15 countries in the world that have statutory appellations of origin, but the degree of implementation and specific measures of the decree varies. These government-approved AOC wines are generally of higher quality and stronger character.
05
alcohol content
Alcohol content actually contains a lot of information, such as wine grade, wine body style, etc. For example, in Old World regions, wines with an alcohol content of 13.5% or higher are generally of higher quality grades, while New World wines such as the United States are high in alcohol, and they are generally made from more ripe grapes, usually with a more fruity taste but a relatively less prominent flavor.
Wine labels in different countries
Because the script and traditions of different countries are different, it is difficult to make a generalization. The following are the main points for teaching everyone to read the wine labels in different countries and regions:
France: Looking for "Appellation... Controlee", which is a word that denotes a wine region, and the text at the ellipsis is the appellation name. You may be dumbfounded about the vineyards and sub-regions on some wine labels, so learn a little about French vineyard regions appropriately.