How to Read a Wine Label

How to Read a Wine Label — The Basics

First let’s start with the basics of reading a wine label.

• Brand: This is the winery that produced the wine. Some wineries have multiple brands. For example, Robert Mondavi owns its namesake winery along with Opus One (high end), Woodbridge (budget), RM Private Selection (Coastal), Luce (Italian), Caliterra (Chilean) and Kirraala (Australian), just to name a few of their brands. Other wine brands don’t have a winery. For example, Quilt is a brand that does not have its own winery. It is vinted and bottled, which is similar to being a private label brand.
• Year: This indicates the year the grapes were harvested.
• Wine Type: This refers to the type of grapes in the wine. The requirements vary from region to region, which complicates things for you. In Napa, if a label says Cabernet Sauvignon, it must contain 75% or more of Cabernet Sauvignon grape. It might contain 100% but the legal minimum is 75%.
• Appellation / Region: This is a legally defined geographical area where grapes were grown. If the grapes were grown in Mendocino, the label cannot say Napa.
• Alcohol: The percentage of alcohol is a legal requirement. It is most often on the back label, but sometimes it appears on the front label.
• Designation / Classification: This is where it gets tricky. Some regions have legal requirements for designations. For example, in Rioja, there are aging requirements that separate a Reserva wine from a regular wine. However, in other regions, Reserva can be used at a winemaker’s whim. Another example is Bordeaux where classifications are governed by the AOP, and you have to have a lot of pre-knowledge in order to understand this classification system.

 

How to Read a New World Wine Label

Let’s start with New World wine labels. This wine label from New Zealand is quite easy to read, and no amount of pre-knowledge is necessary.

In the second example, this new world wine from California is also quite easy to read. The only assumption is that you must know Paso Robles is a wine region in California. Most Americans will know this but it may not be as evident to someone from a different country.

Justin Justification 2014

With old world wine labels, there is much more assumed knowledge you must have. For example, the label does not say what grape varieties are used. In Italy, if a wine comes from the Chianti region and contains at least 80% Sangiovese, then it is a Chianti.

Giulio Straccali Chianti Classico 2016

How to Read an Old World Wine Label from France

French wine labels can be the most challenging to read as there are so many assumptions. The Malartic Lagraviere is a red Bordeaux wine from the Bordeaux region of France. The word Bordeaux never appears on the label, though. This is typical of the region and not unusual with this wine. The label also assumes you know that the grapes used are a Bordeaux blend. (A Bordeaux red wine is a blend of at least two but not more than six very specific types of grapes–Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Carmenere.)

Chateau Malartic Lagraviere 2013

Brand: Chateau Malartic Lagraviere
Wine Type: Bordeaux
Grape Varieties: Bordeaux blend
Region: Pessac-Leognan (in Bordeaux)
Year: 2016

Getting Better at Reading Wine Labels

If you want to learn more about wine, pick a region and drink several different bottles of wine from that region. Each time you open a bottle of wine, pay attention to what the label says… and what knowledge the wine producers assume you already know. Don’t worry about trying to become an expert in wine labels overnight. After all, you’re looking for a bit of edutainment, not a full-time job!