How to Read Wine Labels

Understanding wine labels

For a general overview, the most important pieces of information on a wine label can be broken down into four segments:

• The brand or producer (who)
• The country or region (where)
• The grape variety (what)
• The vintage (when)

Identifying these on a wine label is a great place to start. Then we can move onto deciphering the more difficult stuff.

Wine producer

When looking for who made the wine, famous brand names will, of course, stand out straight away and be easy to spot. A great example any lover of New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc would recognise is Cloudy Bay, which is always very prominent on the label.

With many Old World wines, you’ll often see that they’re named after the producer, rather than a big brand. It’s common for French producers to name their wines after their château or estate, such as Château du Seuil Graves Rouge.

For smaller and lesser known winemakers, the most significant wording on the label may actually be the grape variety or the wine region, with the producer name in small print. For instance, you may see a small winemaker based in a famous region like Chablis or Sancerre lead with the appellation name instead of the winery.

Wine region

If the wine isn’t named after the place it was made, you can soon figure out that information by looking elsewhere on the bottle.

Geographical Indications (GI) are very common on wine labels, and they tell you that a wine was produced in a designated vineyard area within a country, such as Rioja in Spain. Not only can they denote a certain standard by association with a region’s reputation, they are important for understanding that the grape variety in the bottle will have a flavour and style unique to the location it was grown in (everything from weather and soil type to bottling and winemaking techniques will influence it!).

Quite a few Old World countries have their own wine labelling systems and terms in place, which you may come across on a bottle. Here are three of the most famous wine-producing countries that have their own GI terminology:

French labelling terms

A French GI wine that’s produced in an area with only a few regulations is referred to as Vin de Pays (VdP). A French GI wine that’s produced in a small area with strict regulations is referred to as Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC), which includes the likes of Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Champagne. AOC is considered much more premium.

Spanish labelling terms

A Spanish GI wine that’s made in an area with only a few restrictions is known as a Vino de la Tierra (VdIT). Spanish GI wines made in areas with much tighter restrictions are called Denominación de Origen (DO), and DO wines that have a particularly strong reputation for high quality are awarded Denominación de Origen Calificada (DOCa) status. Rioja is the most iconic DOCa you will have no doubt seen.

Italian labelling terms

An Italian GI wine that’s made in an area with few regulations is labelled as Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT). Italian GI wines made in areas with very strict regulations are labelled as Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC), and DOC wines that are considered especially high quality earn Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (DOCG) status. Barbera d’Asti is a well-known DOCG you may have come across.

A wine that doesn’t show a GI will simply say something like “wine of France” on the label, and you’ll know from the lack of precision that it’s a cheaper, lower quality wine.

Grape variety

There are many different grape varieties out there, each possessing their own characteristics and flavours. The type of grape used plays a big part in the wine’s make-up, as some grapes have higher levels of sugar (for fermenting into alcohol) than others, different skin colours, tannins, flavours and levels of acidity.

These characteristics are all affected by the climate the grapes were grown in, too, as colder temperatures give grapes more acidity while warmer temperatures nurture tropical fruit flavours and lots of natural sugar. So, a Chardonnay made in northern France will be completely different to a Chardonnay from Australia.

Well-known varieties like Malbec, Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio will be easy to spot on the label. But for unusual grapes or blends, check the back of the bottle. You’ll know it’s a blend of different varieties if you see more than one grape type listed (e.g. Cabernet Sauvignon – Syrah) or a percentage breakdown of different grape names.

Vintage

The ‘vintage’ is the year the grapes used for a particular wine were harvested, and it’s usually stated on the label. The vintage can be used as a measurement of quality and also as an indication of when to crack open the wine to drink it at its best.

For wines that are better when younger and fresh, the vintage simply tells you how old the wine is rather than signifying a particular level of quality. For more prestigious wines and those that develop in flavour as they age, the vintage stated on the bottle carries much more significance.

Don’t get too caught up on age though! Aged wine can occasionally go off in the bottle, and wines produced in areas with temperamental weather can vary hugely in taste and quality year to year (freak weather could ruin a harvest, for example). So keep in mind that an older vintage doesn’t necessarily indicate a higher quality.

Technical terms on wine labels

Once you’ve nailed the basics, it’s time to move on to the jargon that’s a bit more technical.

Non-Vintage (NV)
If you don’t see a vintage shown on a label, it means that it’s a non-vintage wine. These wines cannot have a vintage / year stated on their label as they have been made by blending grapes harvested at different times in order to control flavour. NV wines are usually lower value wines, or produced by huge brands where it’s more important to keep the flavour of their product consistent, rather than unique to a specific year.

Alcohol by volume (ABV)
This tells you the level of alcohol in the wine. In Europe, most wine regions state that their highest quality wines must be at least 13.5% ABV.

Organic
This is a term that will appear on a label to show that the grapes used in this wine were grown without the use of synthetic chemicals. Check out our Quick Guide to Organic Wine to find out more.

Unfined/unfiltered
This refers to wines that have not been through the traditional practices of removing sediment, bacteria and yeast before bottling. Some wine producers prefer to do this as they feel it produces a more interesting result, while others do it in order to ensure their wine is vegan (as traditional practices typically involve using egg whites or milk protein as fining agents). It’s a common labelling term to see on a natural or biodynamic wine.

Mis En Bouteille
A term meaning ‘bottled’ in French. If you see this little phrase, it means it was bottled at a particular estate (and is usually a sign of a very good quality of wine!)

Cuvée
This is used to indicate that a blend has been used, and this could be a blend of different grape varieties and vintages, grapes sourced from different regions, or even wines sourced from different barrels.

Barrel/barrique aged
Wines that have been fermented or aged in barrels are referred to as oaked or barrel/barrique aged to indicate that toasty, nutty notes will be present in the wine.

Old vines
This means the wine was made from vines that have been growing for a very long time, usually for over 50 years. It’s a sign of good quality as old vines typically create highly concentrated flavours in the fruit and small harvests.