Wine
Label Decoding
Standards differ
from one country to the next when it comes to alcohol content.
The United States requires a minimum level of 7% for table wine
and a maximum of 14%. The percentage of alcohol must be put
on the label but a small variance of up to 1.5% is acceptable.
For sherry or port, the alcohol content is in the range of 17%
to 20%. |
In the case
of Old World wines from Europe, the wine's region of origin
becomes its default name. For wines from the New World, like
the United States, Chile, South Africa, or Australia, the wine
name is the grape variety (Shiraz, Zinfandel). If the wine region
is held in high esteem, you are apt to find it on the label.
But for this to be the case for American wine, 85% of the grapes
must derive from certain appellations or American Viticultural
Areas. |
The standard
is 750 millilitres or 1.5 litres. You can either find the volume
on the label or at the base of the bottle itself. |
In France, Italy
and Spain, the name and the region are one and the same. In
France, for example, Beaujolais, Bordeaux and Champagne are
all names of wines and appellations. Italy, with Chianti, and
Spain, with Rioja, are the same. Wines from the United States,
South America, Australia, Canada, and New Zealand are another
matter. As mentioned above, the grapes get most of the credit,
along with the vineyard. Gallo of Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon,
for example. |
If you know
enough about wines, the producer can tell you more about the
contents of the bottle than anything else. The more experience
you have with wines, the more familiar you become with the quality
being put out by the producers on the market. Now the name of
a producer differs again by country. In France, it can be a
Château in Bordeaux or a Domaine in Burgundy. Germany,
Italy and Spain have Estates but again, the precise name is
crucial because, in many instances, producers share surnames
and quality can vary from one to the next. |
Appellations
or wine regions have their own rating systems that attempt to
imply the quality of the wine to the consumer. They do sometimes
make an appearance on the bottle label, but not always. |
Basic type information
like "white table wine" or "dry red wine." |
Variety is the
type of grape the wine was made with, otherwise known as varietal
content. France and Italy do not divulge this information. Regions
in those two nations must make wine from traditional grape types:
Cabernet Sauvignon in Bordeaux and Sangiovese in Chianti, for
example. While most nations permit the use of outside varietals
in a blend, it cannot be more than 15% of the wine (25% in the
United States). |
Vintage denotes
the year of harvest, not the year when the wine was put into
bottles. The majority of laws from country to country stipulate
that at least 85% of the wine must derive from grapes harvested
in the year of the vintage. The rest can be a blend of wine
from other years. |
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