How to Read a Wine Label

Stacie Hunt, of DuVin Wine and Spirits in West Hollywood, explains the best method for reading a wine label and finding the perfect wine.

Origin

Every bottle of wine has an Appellation of Origin. This tells where the vineyard is located in the world.

Apellation Controlee"

In Italy: DOC "Denominazione della Origine"

In Spain: DO "Denominacion de Origin"

In USA: AVA "American Viticultural Area"

Name of the Wine

This could be the grape varietal (Cabernet Sauvignon); or a fanciful or proprietary name like "Vin Cigare," for fun or creativity purposes. It could also be the name of a virtual winery or even a retail or hotel or restaurant name, in which case the estabishment has contracted with a vineyard or winery to create a "branded" wine.

Vintage

This is the year the grapes were harvested, not bottled. For some wines, they may be harvested this year and bottled years later, depending on their style. White wines generally should be young in vintage, no more than four years old. The exception comes in French and German wines, which are noted for their longevity.

Grape Variety

This tells us the specific grape (i.e. Cabernet Sauvignon) that the wine is made from. The exception is in French, Spanish and Italian wines, where the varietal may not be listed, since each of these countries have enacted laws for which grapes can be included in which wines, based on their region. So, it helps to bone up on the regions and which grapes are prevalent there.

Ripe and Ready

This applies mainly to Germany and Austria, where they rank wines by a ripeness or sweetness quotient. In Germany, the lowest ripeness is called Kabinett. The highest (and most expensive) is called QmP. The label of a dry German wine will say "trocken." Other wines will say "halbtrocken" (semi-dry) to "spatlese," meaning late harvested -- the richest, ripest and sweetest. If you see "eiswein" (ice wine) on the label, you can assume this is rich, syrupy tasting and an amazing dessert wine.

Bottling

"Estate bottled" indicates that the grapes and resulting wine were grown, harvested and made at the location of the vineyard. If a bottle doesn't say that, the grapes or grape juice could have come from another location to a bottling facility. In that case, it will say "bottled at" or "produced and bottled" Most quality wines are "estate bottled."

Other Information

A French wine may list the location status of the vineyard or region with the words "Grand Cru" (the highest) or "1er Cru" -- meaning "Premier Cru" (second highest) or "Cru Bourgeois," the local or village wine.

The Back Label

This is the area where various warnings are posted (such as the Surgeon General's warning on American-made wines); the alcohol content is here; information on sulphites (if there are more than 10 parts per million); the bottle size as well as the importer's name. Increasingly, the back label has become the creative space for a few words from the winemaker, discussing the effort and passion that went into the wine and even what it will pair best with in terms of foods. Some winemakers will also use the back label to list the blends and percentages, as well as the name of the different grape varietals.

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