Wine Label Pieces

The Brand Name: This is the name of the company that has
produced the wine. Most often this is the name of the winery or
bottler if the winery has several different brands.

Vintage: Most wines will carry the vintage somewhere on the
bottle, although this is not a mandatory requirement and will
not be on all bottles. A vintage is the year that the grapes
used were harvested. Most wine producing countries have laws
that require at least 85 percent of the grapes used to be
harvested in the specified year of vintage although in the
United States this figure can be as high as 95 percent.

Appellation of Origin: This is the geographical area where the
grapes were grown, for example "California" or more a more
specific vineyard. Most countries have strict laws regarding an
appellation classification, which is why like the vintage; at
least 85 percent of the grapes used must be from their specified
region.

Wine Type: This specifies the grapes used to make the wine.
Again this can be as broad as "Red Table Wine" or as specific as
Merlot or Chardonnay. Most wine producing countries allow the
use of some non-varietal grapes in the blend. In Europe and
Australia, at least 85 percent of the wine's content must be
from the named varietals, while in some parts of the United
States this figure is much lower at about 75 percent.

Producer and Bottler: What this part of the bottle signifies
varies greatly depending on where the bottle of wine originates
from. If grapes are harvested and bottled at the winery it is
considered to be "estate bottled" and the label will state this
using Mise en bouteille(s) au Chateau (French),
Gutsabfüllung/Erzeugerabfüllung (German) or simply Estate
Bottled.

According to Napa Valley Vintners online (napavintners.com) it
is even more specific for American bottled wines and the
terminology even more specifically determines how the wine was
bottled: "'Produced and bottled by' certifies that the bottler
fermented 75% or more of the wine. Used in combination with
other information on the label, such as a vineyard, this term
provides the consumer with significant information about the
origin of the wine and who is responsible for its production.
'Cellared and bottled by' indicates that the bottler has aged
the wine or subjected it to cellar treatment before bottling.
'Made and bottled by' indicates that the bottler fermented at
least 75% of the wine (10% before July 28, 1994). 'Bottled by'
indicates that the winery bottled the wine, which may have been
grown, crushed, fermented, finished, and aged by someone else."

Other Required Information: This depends on what country the
wine is from. For example, wines sold in the United States are
required to have (at least on the back label) alcohol content,
contents size, and consumer warnings from the Surgeon General as
well as a sulphite warning while in Germany wine are required to
have an Amptliche Prüfungs Nummer which is a number received
while in testing. The famous wine regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy
and Alsace in France will carry the term Cru somewhere on the
label to indicate that the wine is from a town or producer of
high quality.

While this still might be very overwhelming, when looked at from
a point of view of the winemaker, a wine label really is there
to help you as the consumer, not hinder your decision making.
Everything on a wine label is there to inform you of where the
wine came from and how it was produced, and while it might take
you a lifetime to be able to completely understand every single
term that is put on a wine bottle, being able to understand the
basics will be advantageous. It is important to remember that
rules will vary from country to country as to what is required
to be on a wine bottle or specific terms used. What might be
required in France might not be required in Chile.

About the author:
Ken Finnigan is the CEO of Finest Wine Racks a
website specializing in quality decorative wine racks and
durable wine storage systems. Also vist the Finest Wine Racks