How to Read a Wine Label

Start with the producer and the name

The producer (a château, domaine, bodega, tenuta or winery) is the single most reliable indicator of style and quality. Two wines from the same appellation and vintage can taste completely different depending on who made them, how they farmed their vines and how they handled the cellar work.

Many labels also carry a cuvée name or a vineyard name. A cuvée is a specific blend or selection made by the producer, while a named vineyard usually signals that the grapes came from one plot with its own character.

Old World labels name the place, New World labels name the grape

In most traditional European regions the label tells you where the wine comes from rather than what grape it is made from. A bottle labelled Chablis is Chardonnay, Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc and Chianti is predominantly Sangiovese. The rules of each appellation dictate which grapes are allowed.

In the United States, Australia, Chile, Argentina, South Africa and New Zealand, the grape variety usually appears prominently. If a variety is named, a minimum percentage of that grape must be in the bottle; the threshold varies by country, commonly between 75% and 85%.

Quality tiers and classifications

European wines are organised in a pyramid. At the base are table wines with little geographic information. Above them sit wines with a protected geographical indication (such as IGP) and at the top the protected designations of origin (PDO), known as AOC or AOP in France, DOC and DOCG in Italy and DO or DOCa in Spain.

Terms such as Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Reserva, Riserva or Gran Reserva have legal meaning, but the meaning differs per country and region. A Reserva from Rioja involves minimum ageing periods, whereas Reserve on an American label often has no legal definition at all.

Vintage, alcohol and other details

• Vintage: the year the grapes were harvested, not bottled. It matters most in cooler regions where weather varies strongly from year to year.
• Alcohol by volume (ABV): a clue to style. Lower figures often suggest lighter, fresher wines; higher figures suggest riper fruit or warmer climates.
• Bottler statements such as "mis en bouteille au château" or "estate bottled" indicate the producer bottled the wine themselves.
• Allergen and sulphite warnings are mandatory in the European Union.

Using a scanner to keep track

Labels can be dense and in a foreign language. A tool such as VinoSnap lets you photograph a label and have the producer, vintage and region identified and stored in your private cellar, so you can look back at what you enjoyed.