Reading a wine label might sound like the simplest thing in the world, but what many of us don’t care to admit is that, in reality, we don’t always know what we’re looking for.
Language barriers, together with different ways of labelling wine, combine to make effectively reading a label something of a complex process.
While we might all like to think we know a thing or two about wine, there are a number of factors that can make it difficult to decipher wine labels. Not least of these is the fact that, depending on where your wine is from, the information on display will be very different from one bottle to another. This extends right down to the variety of the red wine you are buying – while one red wine bottle may take its variety from the region in which it is produced, another may label itself according to the variety of grape.
Confusing? Indeed it is, but with a little know how you’ll soon be reading red wine labels like a real pro.
To start with, a good rule of thumb is to remember that, in the majority of cases, wines from the New World (eg United States, South America, Australia and New Zealand) will label the wine according to the type of grape (or blend of grape) that was used to produce the wine, Old World wines (eg France, Spain, Italy…) will label it according to the region in which it was produced.
What can complicate matters is the fact that both the country where the red wine is produced and the country where the red wine is being sold will have rules and regulations about what needs to be printed on the label.
In today’s market, this means that many red wine bottles now have two labels – one on the front of the bottle and the other at the back. Typically, the front label will feature the name of the wine and an eye-catching graphic, while the ‘technical information’ will be consigned to the back.
Labels on bottles of New World red wine are more user-friendly for today’s wine buyer than those of the Old World. Usually, the front label will clearly print the variety of grape, the region the wine was produced in and the alcohol content. All the vital information wine buyers need, in short. On the back label, the bottle of red wine will generally display any health warning required in the country where the wine is being sold, along with a description of the wine’s main characteristics and some suggestions as to suitable food pairings for the wine.
When it comes to buying Old World wines, things can get much more complicated – not least due to the fact that labelling practices can vary dramatically not just from country to country, but even from region to region.
Add to this the language issues that come into play and deciphering a wine label can become something of a guessing game for many white and red wine buyers.
Among the easier Old World labels to read are those from the Alsace region of France. Alsation red wines, like Old World wines, display the grape varietal that produced the wine clearly on the front of the bottle.
Red wine fans who are partial to a drop of Burgundy will have to work a little harder when making their selection. For starters, bear in mind that ‘Bourgogne‘ is the French for Burgundy, so your bottle of red wine may be labelled ‘Vin de Bourgogne’.
When reading Burgundy labels, look to see if the red wine indicates only a village name. If this is the case, it may be blended. When the name and producer are both listed, you are looking at a Premier Cru wine produce d by a specific vineyard. Grand Cru wines, of singularly high quality, will show only the vineyard name.
When reading Italian wine labels, on the other hand, you’ll have another set of facts and figures to take into account. The label on your Italian red wine will indicate the wine’s name, growing region, grape type (Italy boasts more than 2,000) the name of the estate and of the producer, alcohol content and the vintage year.
While many of us scout for wines by grape varietal or region, the year of production can have a marked effect on the taste and quality. If you’re going to be spending a significant amount on a bottle of red wine, look into which vintages of your chosen wine deliver the best drinking experiences.
