Understanding Wine Labels

22 February 2023 - Inn Express

Decipher Wine Labels In 5 Easy Steps

Let’s face it wine labels are a minefield when it comes to trying to figure out what’s inside the bottle, right? Especially if it’s from a non-English speaking country, this might go some way towards explaining why consumers generally stick with what they know, playing it safe with recognisable varietally-labelled wines.

Just like other alcoholic drinks, wines legally have to include certain key pieces of information on their front labels (and back labels if applicable). We’re going to help you to decipher labels by identifying five key elements that will tell you as much as you need to know.

Origin - Where Does The Wine Come From?

While the country of origin should be pretty obvious, the wine also needs to show some kind of geographical reference that relates to where the grapes are actually grown (known as an appellation). On top of this, there may be a further inference to the quality level through that country’s own appellation system. Most wine-producing countries have created their own appellation system with strict laws that regulate their usage. The laws are there to protect the integrity of that regional product, a bit like those in place for foods like Cornish pasties, Parma Ham and Comté cheese. The laws don’t just cover geography, they can also include factors like maximum grape yield, type of grape variety used, minimum alcohol levels, period of ageing and production methods.Countries with the most established and rigorous appellation systems are primarily European. France, Italy, Spain and Germany are perhaps the better known but Hungary and Portugal are in fact two of the oldest too. Most New World countries have adopted their own system, all of which are pretty self-explanatory.

At the most basic generic level, you’ll start with a multi-regional blend, which might for example be labelled Vin de France or Vino de España (the ‘country wine’ references replaced the old ‘table wine’ ones around 2010). At the other end of the scale, it will give more specific geographical information like the sub-region as well as the single site/vineyard from where the fruit is grown. Examples are Chablis Grand Cru “Les Preuses” (Chablis being the sub-region and “Les Preuses” the Grand Cru rated single vineyard), or Henschke “Hill of Grace”, Eden Valley Shiraz (Eden Valley being the sub-region and “Hill of Grace” the single site).

Germany has just announced earlier in 2022 that it will be changing its wine laws for the first time since 1971 to bring them more in line with the rest of Europe. With more of a focus on geography and terroir to indicate quality as opposed to sweetness levels of the wines, this will be welcomed not only by consumers but also the German producers too. The sweeter categories ranging from Kabinett up to Trockenbeerenauslese will still continue when the new rules come into effect in 2026.

The Quality Pyramid

Starting from the most basic wines, to the more premium wines further down the list.

French Wines

VDF (Vin De France)

IGP (Indication Géographique Protégée)

AOP/AOC (Appellation d’Origine Protégée/ Contrôlée)

Italian Wines

VDT (Vino da Tavola)

IGT / IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta / Tipica)

PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)

DOC/DOCG (Denominazione di Origine Controllata / e Garantita)

DOP(Denominazione di Origine Controllata)

The Italians also use quality terms like Classico (the historical and better hillside vineyards of that region), Superiore (has a higher minimum alcohol level) and Riserva (aged for a longer).

Spanish Wines

VDM (Vino de Mesa)

IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta / Tipica)

VINO DE LA TIERRA

VC (Vino de Calidad con indicaćion geográfica)

DO (Denominación de Origen)

DOCA/DOQ (Denominación de Origen Calificada)

An additional category VP (Vino de Pago) was created in 2003 for exceptional single-estate wines.

Producers - The Team Behind The Wine

Every label has to declare who is behind the creation of that wine, whether it’s an individual artisan, an estate, a co-operative or a multinational conglomerate. This is generally fairly self-explanatory as the producer is prominently displayed on the front label, i.e. Eben Sadie (artisan), Château Petrus (estate), Produttori del Barbaresco (co-op), but it can be a little more complicated when you delve into Champagne for example.

Some wines just have brand names like Jacob's Creek that are owned by multi-national companies. The company's details can normally be found in small print on the back label. Quality can vary greatly from producer to producer, and it doesn't always hold true that all artisans make better wines than, say, co-operatives, even if they're more expensive, so it's always worth doing your own research looking at reviews and critic ratings as a guide.

Vintage - When was the wine made?

If the label states a year on it, that’s the year it was harvested and made into wine. This is always a good indicator of how fresh the wine is. For example, if it’s a relatively low-priced wine, especially a dry white wine, you would hope that the vintage shown is no more than two years older than the current year otherwise chances are it will be tired and lacking fruit.

Some better quality white wines like cool-climate Chardonnays, as well as many reds actually improve with a little bottle age. Fortified wines like Vintage Port and top red and white wines can continue improving for up to 50 years or more so again it’s worth doing some research before writing off older wines.

Champagne and other sparkling wines, most sherries and very cheap table wines will often be a blend of different vintages and will either show no year at all or in the case of sparkling wines, it will state NV (Non-Vintage). Some houses are steering away from the NV term and referring to their wines as a ‘multi-vintage’ blend, which is essentially what they are.

Grapes - What Is The Wine Made From?

The grape variety/varieties used to make a wine will be prominently displayed on the label, normally on the front but occasionally on the back label, unless it’s a generic entry-level wine, that’s forbidden from stating any variety, or it’s a traditional European wine like a Bordeaux, Rioja or Chianti. These famous appellations work on the idea that the appellation laws in that region dictate which grape varieties are permitted so that in itself should be enough reassurance to the consumer. A bit arrogant really but that stance is softening. Most producers who have their own website tend to have technical notes or downloadable tech sheets which give you all the information you need about what went into the wine and how it's made.

France and Germany are pretty straightforward to understand once you've grasped the basics for each region, for example, White burgundy is Chardonnay and Red Burgundy is Pinot Noir. Italy, Spain and Portugal have mostly indigenous varieties, many of which are extremely localised so generally you’ll find more of a regional style than a particular flavour profile. As a broad example, you’ll find light, spritzy whites from northern coastal Portugal (Vinho Verde) and full-bodied reds from the southern inland region of Alentejo.

Alcohol - How Strong Is The wine?

The final element that has to be legally shown on the label is the alcoholic strength. In the UK, wines have to be no less than 8% abv, unless it’s permitted under specific PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) rules. Wines that fall below this level and outside PDO rules have to be labelled as a ‘wine based drink’.

In the UK, it’s perhaps easier to categorise wines according to their corresponding duty bands. If the wine is sparkling and falls between 5.5% - 8.5% abv (like a Moscato d’Asti), duty is applied at a lower rate than a sparkling wine that falls between 8.5% - 15% (say a Cava). The other likelihood with a lower alcoholic sparkler is that it’s going to be sweet because the fermentation has been cut short part-way through the conversion process.

Still wines can range between 5.5%15%. These are generally table wines although in practise, the majority of dry wines will be at least 11% abv. Some German dessert wines can naturally be as low as 7% abv and fino sherries sit around 15%. Wines over 15% and up to a maximum of 22% will generally be fortified or red wines coming from very hot climates. Some Californian Zinfandels and Australian Shiraz have been known to reach 16.5%+ abv!