How to Read a Wine Label

Most wine labels are built from the same handful of parts: a brand or producer name, sometimes a wine name, where the grapes were grown, often a grape variety, a vintage, the alcohol level and a few other terms. The place where the grapes were grown is called a geographical indication, or GI. In the European Union, GIs come with rules that set where the grapes come from and may also set which varieties can be used and how the wine is made. The grape variety is not always on the label. In many parts of Europe the region appears rather than the grape, and on Bourgogne labels the grape variety is optional information. Grape names can still appear on European labels: under EU rules, naming one variety means at least 85 percent of the wine was made from it, and naming two or more means 100 percent of the wine was made from those varieties. In the US, a grape variety can serve as the wine's type designation only if the label also carries an appellation of origin.

• Common label parts: brand or producer, wine name, geographical indication (GI), grape variety, vintage, alcohol by volume and other terms.
• In many parts of Europe the region, not the grape, is named on the label.
• EU: one named variety means at least 85 percent of that variety; two or more named varieties means 100 percent from those varieties.
• US: a varietal name needs an appellation of origin on the label (27 CFR 4.23(a)).

The brand or producer name often features prominently on the label. In the US, the brand name is a required part of the brand label, and a separate required statement gives the name and address of the bottler. The words in that line have defined meanings under US rules. 'Produced' or 'Made' means the named winery fermented at least 75 percent of the wine at the stated address, or met one of the other conditions the rule lists. These words can be joined with 'bottled by' only if the same company did both at the same address. 'Cellared', 'Vinted' or 'Prepared' means the named winery gave the wine cellar treatment at the stated address. 'Estate Bottled' requires an AVA on the label, and the bottling winery must be located in that AVA, grow all of the grapes on land it owns or controls inside it (control means a lease or similar agreement of at least 3 years), and crush, ferment, finish, age and bottle the wine in a continuous process without the wine ever leaving its premises. No other term may be used to signal combined growing and bottling. Imported wine must say 'imported by' followed by the importer's name and US address. On a Bourgogne label, the compulsory details include the name, registered company and address of the bottler, whether that is the producer or a cooperative cellar, usually after a phrase such as 'Mis en bouteilles par' (bottled by). Mis en bouteille simply means 'put in bottle'. Decanter describes Burgundy domaines as making wine only from estate vineyards and traditional négociants as owning no vineyards, with their expertise in maturing and blending wine; it also notes that many négociants are substantial property owners and that there appears to be no legal requirement to separate wines made from purchased grapes from domaine-bottled wines. For Bordeaux, Decanter's WSET Level 2 course notes describe 'Château' as a wine made on the producer's own land, not from grapes, juice or wine brought in from elsewhere.

• 'Produced' or 'Made' (US): the named winery fermented at least 75 percent of the wine at the stated address, or met another condition in 27 CFR 4.35.
• 'Cellared', 'Vinted' or 'Prepared' (US): the named winery gave the wine cellar treatment at the stated address.
• 'Estate Bottled' (US): AVA on the label, winery in that AVA, all grapes grown on land it owns or controls there, and crushing through bottling in one continuous process on its premises (27 CFR 4.26).
• Bourgogne labels name the bottler, usually after 'Mis en bouteilles par' (bottled by).

In the US, an American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a delimited grape-growing region with distinguishing features, a name and a boundary set out in 27 CFR part 9. When a US label names an AVA, at least 85 percent of the wine must come from grapes grown inside its boundaries, and an American wine must be fully finished in the state, or one of the states, where the AVA lies. A state or county appellation needs at least 75 percent of the wine from that area. The grape rules sit on top of the place rules. A single variety name means at least 75 percent of the wine comes from that variety, and the entire 75 percent must have been grown in the labeled appellation area. If two or more varieties are named, all of the grapes must be of those varieties and the label must show each one's percentage, within plus or minus 2 percent. A named vineyard needs at least 95 percent of the wine from that vineyard. Oregon sets a higher bar for variety names. The Oregon wine labeling handout hosted by the Oregon Wine Board, summarizing Oregon rule OAR 845-010-0915, gives 90 percent or more of the named variety, with 75 percent accepted for 18 listed varieties, among them Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Zinfandel. Pinot Noir is not on that list, so the 90 percent figure applies to it. In France, the decree-law of July 30, 1935 created the Comité national des appellations d'origine des vins et eaux de vie and entrusted it with the recognition and regulation of new appellations d'origine contrôlées (AOC), and the first AOCs were recognized on May 15, 1936: Arbois, Cassis, Cognac, Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Monbazillac and Tavel. Germany's VDP, an association of estates, ties quality to place in its own words: 'The narrower the appellation of origin, the higher the quality of the wine.'

• US AVA: at least 85 percent of the wine from grapes grown in the AVA (27 CFR 4.25(e)(3)(ii)).
• US state or county appellation: at least 75 percent from that area (27 CFR 4.25(b)(1)(i)).
• US named vineyard: at least 95 percent from that vineyard (27 CFR 4.39(m)).
• Oregon variety names: 90 percent, with 75 percent for 18 listed varieties; Pinot Noir is not on the list (OAR 845-010-0915, per the Oregon Wine Board hosted handout).

The vintage is the year the grapes were harvested, not the year the wine was bottled. Under US rules, a vintage date also requires an appellation of origin on the label. If that appellation is an AVA, at least 95 percent of the wine must come from grapes harvested in the labeled year; with other appellations, such as a state or county, the floor is 85 percent. EU rules set 85 percent for a vintage year. In some regions, such as Bordeaux, the weather varies a lot from one year to the next, and weather affects the health and ripeness of the grapes and the style and quality of the wine. In the US, alcohol must be stated on wines above 14 percent; at 14 percent or less, it may be left off if 'table wine' or 'light wine' appears on the brand label. When it is stated, the figure may be off by up to 1.5 percentage points either way for wines of 14 percent or less, and by 1 point above 14 percent, except that the statement must still correctly indicate the class and type of the wine (27 CFR 4.36(c)). US wine labeling rules in 27 CFR part 4 cover wine of 7 to 24 percent alcohol by volume. On Bourgogne labels the alcohol content is a compulsory detail, shown as a percentage of volume. EU rules allow the stated strength to differ from analysis by no more than 0.5 % vol, or 0.8 % vol for some categories such as sparkling and liqueur wines. WSET says most dry light wines sit between 11 and 15 percent alcohol, that wines under 11 percent are likely to have some sweetness from unfermented sugar, and that wines over 15 percent are usually fortified. Alcohol is also a style clue. Warmer climates lead to riper grapes with more sugar, and so higher alcohol, and alcohol can add weight and body to a wine. In Gregory Jones's climate overview for GuildSomm, cool-climate varieties tend to give wines with lower alcohol and a lighter body, and hot-climate wines tend to be bigger, with higher alcohol and a fuller body. US labels must also show net contents (750 milliliters is one of the authorized US bottle sizes), a 'Contains sulfites' statement when sulfur dioxide is detected at 10 or more parts per million, and the government health warning set out in 27 CFR 16.21.

• Vintage = harvest year. US: at least 95 percent from that year with an AVA, at least 85 percent with other appellations (27 CFR 4.27(a)).
• EU: a vintage year means at least 85 percent of the grapes were harvested that year.
• US alcohol: required above 14 percent; may be left off at 14 percent or less if 'table wine' or 'light wine' appears (27 CFR 4.36(a)); tolerance 1.5 points at 14 percent or less, 1 point above.
• Sulfites (US): 'Contains sulfites' when sulfur dioxide is detected at 10 or more parts per million (27 CFR 4.32(e)).

In Burgundy, the quality labels range from regional (Bourgogne AC) to the very specific Grand Crus, with Villages, Premier Cru and Grand Cru as levels that have legal definitions. Premier Cru and Grand Cru relate to the vineyards: to put a Premier Cru on the label, all of the grapes must come from that vineyard. In Bordeaux, Grand Cru Classé dates from 1855, when five levels were set for the Médoc. The 1855 list ranked châteaux: 58 of them at first, with four first growths, 12 seconds, 14 thirds, 11 fourths and 17 fifths. Divisions of the original estates have brought the list to 61 châteaux, and its only formal revision came in 1973, when Mouton was raised to first growth. Italy's four tiers run from vino da tavola (table wine) through Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) to DOC and, at the top, DOCG. The first DOCGs were introduced in 1980. DOCG wines undergo analysis and testing by a government-approved panel and must carry a uniquely numbered status label on the neck, pink for reds and green for whites, which helps deter counterfeiting. Examples include Barolo, Brunello di Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Amarone della Valpolicella and Franciacorta. IGT was created in 1992 as a tier above vino da tavola for quality wines that did not meet DOC or DOCG rules; Super Tuscans are a prime example. In Germany, the VDP (Verband Deutscher Prädikatsweingüter, the Association of German Prädikat Wine Estates) traces back to 1910, when four regional associations joined forces, and now unites some 200 estates. Its own four-tier classification runs VDP.Gutswein, VDP.Ortswein, VDP.Erste Lage and VDP.Grosse Lage, the last for the very best vineyards, and VDP.Grosses Gewächs (GG) designates a dry wine from a Grosse Lage. The VDP eagle on the capsule is the seal of quality of VDP wines. German Prädikat levels, in ascending order, are Kabinett (fine, light wines from ripe grapes with low alcohol), Spätlese (ripe, elegant wines harvested a little later, not necessarily sweet), Auslese, Beerenauslese, Eiswein and Trockenbeerenauslese, the top of the pyramid. Spain uses DO and, a cut above it, DOCa, which Priorat and Rioja hold.

• Burgundy: regional, Villages, Premier Cru, Grand Cru; Premier Cru and Grand Cru relate to the vineyards.
• Bordeaux: the 1855 Grand Cru Classé list ranks châteaux in five levels.
• Italy: DOCG bottles carry a uniquely numbered neck label, pink for reds and green for whites.
• Germany: GG (Grosses Gewächs) is a dry wine from a VDP.Grosse Lage vineyard.

Some label terms carry hard rules; others carry none. Wine Spectator says that for the most part the term 'reserve' has no real (or legal) meaning in the US and is simply a marketing tool. Red Rioja Reserva must age at least 36 months in oak barrels and bottle combined, with at least 12 months in barrel followed by at least 6 months in bottle; white and rosé Reserva need at least 24 months, with at least 6 in oak. Red Gran Reserva needs at least 60 months, with at least 24 in barrel followed by at least 24 in bottle. Chianti Classico Riserva needs at least 24 months of ageing, 3 of them in bottle, at least 80 percent Sangiovese and at least 12.5 % vol alcohol. Chianti Classico Annata needs at least 12 months, and Gran Selezione, introduced in 2014, needs at least 30 months and at least 90 percent Sangiovese. Barolo must age at least 38 months, 18 of them in wood, and Barolo Riserva at least 62 months, 18 in wood, counted from November 1 of the harvest year. 'Classico' and 'Superiore' point to different things in Chianti. Chianti Classico is named for where it is grown and is one of seven subregions within Chianti, while Chianti Superiore gets its name from production and ageing requirements, not from a region. Other words have no fixed meaning. Decanter's WSET Level 2 course notes list 'vieilles vignes' (old vines) among terms whose definitions are not fixed and have no legal controls, adding that how old is old enough remains undefined. Older vines typically produce fewer, more concentrated grapes, which can make more intensely flavored wines.

• Red Rioja Reserva: at least 36 months, with at least 12 in barrel and 6 in bottle.
• Chianti Classico Riserva: at least 24 months, 3 in bottle; at least 80 percent Sangiovese.
• Barolo Riserva: at least 62 months, 18 in wood, counted from November 1 of the harvest year.
• Old vines: no fixed definition and no legal controls.

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