Wine Label Information

Apart from being a basic mandatory legal requirement, wine labels also provide important information for consumers. A commercial wine label often carries details that are not only useful in establishing a wine's origin but also act as an effective communication tool for the producer. Additionally, labels provide a glimpse of regional and national wine laws.

Please take a look at the individual wine label information for the European Union, France, Germany, Italy, the United States and Australia.

The amount of information a wine label displays, varies according to the quality level, and the wine and alcohol laws of a particular country. In addition, labels can differ from region to region. A good example is the difference between top wines from Bordeaux and Burgundy. While Bordeaux wines are mostly known by the estates/chateaux that produce them, Burgundy labels are more emphatic in stating the vineyards and communes/villages where the grapes are grown. In spite of all the different possibilities, most commercial wine labels are expected to display the following basic information:

• Name of the wine: In most cases, the name will stand out from the other details.
• Wine designation: A bottled wine, when produced for commercial purposes, should fall into a category or designation that best explains the type of wine in general, and the regional classification level in particular. These can range from simple terms such as 'Wine', 'Table Wine', 'Quality Wine', 'Sparkling Wine' and 'Fortified Wine' to more specific descriptions such as the Prädikatswein (formerly Qualitätswein mit Prädikat or QmP) level of German wines; the French VDP (Vin de Pays), the EU equivalent of which is IGP (Indication Geographique Protegée); DOC (Denaminazione de Origen Controlata), and so on.
• Geographical Indication: This can range from the basic 'Turkish Table Wine' to a particular AVA (American Viticultural Area) or a large geographical area, such as 'South Eastern Australia'.
• Alcoholic strength: A wine has to be classified into a style based on its alcoholic strength, which is often stated '%Vol'.
• Volume: This may be expressed in different units, such as milliliters, centiliters, liters and fluid ounces.
• Vintage: The inclusion of a vintage depends on a region's wine laws (for example, a 'Table Wine' from the EU may not state the vintage). If the vintage is mentioned, 85% of the wine should be the product of that year.
• Varietal information: This is optional. Once again, the inclusion of a grape variety will follow a country's wine laws. For instance, in Australia and the EU, if a vintage is mentioned on the label, 85% of the grapes must come from that particular year.
• Name and address of the producer: This can take the form of a very generic description such as 'Produced and Bottled by XYZ Vineyards, Napa Valley, California', to a back label detailing the exact postal address of the winery.

With the growing popularity of wine, and increasing consumer awareness, producers around the world – especially in the New World – are also focusing on creative back labels as an effective communication tool. In their most comprehensive form, the labels on the backs of bottles will summarize the entire profile of a wine.