Understanding Wine Bottle Labels

At first, reading a wine label can be overwhelming, but once you understand what the information means, it will help you choose the best wine suited for every occasion. Wine labels have a multitude of information including the vineyard where the wine is produced, the year, alcohol by volume and much more. The wine label provides consumers with precise details and history of the wine.

• Brand Name – When looking at a wine label you will notice that most of the time the brand name appears in larger letters than the rest of the writing on the label.
• Vintage – The vintage states the exact year the grapes used to produce the wine were harvested.
• Vineyard – The name of the vineyard reflects the location where at least 95% of the grapes used to produce the wine came from.
• Type of Wine – This information is mandatory and must be placed on all wine bottles according to federal regulations. This information provides the type of grapes used to create the wine. In addition, you may also see the appellation of origin, but that information is optional.
• Bottler – The bottler and/or producer of the wine is mandatory content on wine labels. You will see the name of the bottler and the location in which it was bottled.
• Alcohol Content – The alcohol content is also known as “ABV” on wine labels. This information portrays the alcohol content by volume. The alcohol level indicates how rich the wine may taste. American produced wine commonly has 17% ABV, especially for the dry wines, while the European wine regions who produce the highest quality wines hold the ABV to 13.5%. Only the finest wines can hold the 13.5% ABV.
• Acknowledgement of Sulfites – The information about sulfites is a mandatory requirement. Grapes naturally contain sulfites from the vineyard where they are harvested. The declaration of sulfites is required on imported and domestic wines.
• Contents – The fluid volume is measured in metrics and is mandatory on all wine labels.
• Government Warning – This information is mandatory for all wines created after 1989. According to federal regulations all wines are required to provide a health warning.

The next time you are choosing a wine for a special date, romantic dinner, celebration, dinner party, special event or for dinner, you will be able to read and understand all the details on the wine labels. This information will guide you toward the best suited wine for the occasion.