Have you ever stood in the wine aisle staring at row and row of wine bottles wondering which wine you should buy? Most people will select a wine because they like the label. They are usually drawn to an interesting graphic or clever name on the label. Wine labels are important marketing tools, but there are also facts to be learned by actually reading the label.

Who? The wine label will always tell the name of the winery that made the wine. Wineries often add a proprietary name to the wine. This is usually a marketing tool to encourage interest in the wine.

What? The label will state what type of wine is in the bottle. If it is labeled as a specific type of wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, this means that at least 75% of the wine was produced from Cabernet grapes. Blending juice from other types of grapes is a common practice and often will improve the flavor and aroma of the wine.

When? Vintage is the term used to refer to the year in which the grapes were grown. In the United States wineries are allowed to blend in wine from other years. However, 85% of the volume must be from the year on the label. Not all wines are bottled as vintage wines. If you don't see a year on the label, it is not a vintage wine. Vintage becomes important when wine from a particular year is known to be of better quality than wine from other years. Vintage is also important in aging wines.

Where? When a wine label states that a wine is made from California grown grapes, 100% of the grapes used to produce that wine must be from California. Other states are not as strict and usually require that 75% of the grapes come from a particular state.

Sometimes wine labels will specify which officially designated viticultural area a wine came from; usually this is a region such as Napa Valley that is noted for high quality wines. When this occurs, it means that 85% or more of the grapes must have been grown in that area.

Some vineyards have become known for producing wine of a superior quality. The winery will want to mention the vineyard on the label. Vineyard specific wines like these need to use 95% or more of the grapes from that particular vineyard.

There are wineries that specialize in "estate bottled" wines. Usually this would be included on the label. Estate bottled means that all of the grapes were grown by the winery and that all of the wine making processes were also under the winery's control.

The next time you are shopping for a bottle of wine, take a closer look at the wine label. You will find that wine labels can be quite informative.

About the Author

Kathy Howe and her husband, Steve Howe, spend much of their free time tasting and enjoying wine. Their interest in wine is reflected in their web site, http://www.cheers2wine.com. They continue to explore wineries throughout California to keep up-to-date on the California Wine Country.

Thoughts about Wine Oak

What You Can Learn From Wine Labels


Have you ever stood in the wine aisle staring at row and row of wine bottles wondering which wine you should buy? Most people will select a wine beca...


Click Here to Read More About Wine ...

Featured Wine Oak Items

Hanging Wine Glass Rack


Keep 24 glasses free of dust and easy to reach. Our solid oak wine glass rack is handsomely finished with a rich and protective golden lacquer and is suspended via sturdy brass chains. It's the perfect addition to your kitchen or home bar. 31'W x 14'D.


Price: 49.95 USD



Headlines on Wine Oak

The Right Move, Paso A Paso, Tempranillo (2007)...Red Wine for Consumed to Thrifty Times

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 09:11:13 PDT
Besides Don Quixote, the region of La Mancha (Castile) brings some good wines at great prices to the table. A few days ago, I picked a bottle of Paso A Paso, Tempranillo (2007) and did not regret my choice. The grapes are hand harvested. After fermentation, this wine is aged for 6 months in French Oak. It offers a nice combination of fruit, earthiness and spice, has legs and wraps itself in a ruby red robe. The Paso A Paso is robust enough to stand up to hearty fall and winter dishes say a

Acorns

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 06:10:45 PDT
One year we were given a time share condo. It was a one bedroom unit and most of the time when we tried to trade it for some place we actually wanted to go, there were no one bedroom units available for the next three hundred years or so, so eventually we gave it to relatives as it had been given to us. But one year we took off for New Hampshire around our anniversary in October. We flew into Boston and rented a car to drive up to New Hampshire somewhere around a lake (narrows it down, doesn’t

Marques de Caceres 2001 Rioja Reserva - Tempranillo Red Wine

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 05:48:12 PDT
Red Wine by Marques de Caceres from Rioja, Spain. Number 87 on the Wine.com 100 of 2007! 85% Tempranillo, 15% Garnacha Tinta & Graciano Bright, vivid dark ruby color. Intense bouquet that brings to mind jelly made from fruits of the forest (bilberries) and sweet spice. Good concentration in the mouth with delicious tannins that highlight the wine’s rich fruit that has become more complex following aging in barrel. On the whole, an unctuous wine with a pleasant fullness that lingers on the


Iron Wine
Bronco Wine
Sherry Wine | Shiraz Wine

Labels: California Wines

&type=page">