Wine label
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The label is often the only resource a buyer has for evaluating the wine before purchasing it. Certain information should be included in the wine label, such as the country of origin, quality, type of wine, alcoholic degree, producer, bottler, or importer.[1]
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[edit] Information on wine labels
[edit] Label design
Some wineries place great importance on the label design while others do not place as much attention. There are wineries that have not changed their label's design in over 60 years, as in the case of Château Simone, while others hire designers every year to change it. Labels may include images of works by Picasso, Chagall, and other artists, and these may be collector's pieces.[1] The elegance of the label does not necessarily determine its quality. An excellent wine may have a very simple label whereas others may have very elegant labels in order to mask their bad quality. This is not to say that all wines with elegant labels are bad, but that the elegance of the label does not determine the wine's quality. Instead, it is the information contained in the label that offers key elements relating to the wine's quality.
[edit] Label differences by country
Wine classification systems differ by country. In some places, wines are classified by region and area only. This can be very confusing to consumers. For example, there are 151 châteaux in Bordeaux with "Figeac" and 22 with "Corton" on their labels. In Burgundy, there are 110 appellations in an area only one-fifth the size of Bordeaux. Complicating the system is the fact that many villages have hyphenated their names to include that of their most famous producer. This promotes sales but confuses consumers.
In Spain and Portugal, the authenticity of the wine is guaranteed by a seal on the label or a band over the cork under the capsule.[1] This is promulgated by the grower's association in each area.
German wine labels are particularly noted for the detailedness of information that they can provide in determining quality and style of the wine.
Virtually all New World wines are labeled by grape variety and geographic origin. Some countries permit semi-generic designations, whereas others do not.
Wines whose label does not indicate the name of the winery or the winemaker is referred to as "cleanskin" wine, particularly in Australia.
[edit] Importance of labels in different types of wine
The information contained in labels is important to determine the quality of the wine. For example, great importance needs to be attached to vintage dates when there are differences in climate.[1] The taste and quality of the wine can change from year to year depending on the climate. Knowing the vintage is specially important when buying fine wines because the quality of the wine can vary from year to year due to climatic differences. The quickest way to determine the quality of the year is to use a wine chart.[1]
Sometimes vintage dates are not important. For example, there are no vintage dates on bottles of sherry. On the other hand, wines may or may not have vintages. Champagne is usually a blend of a number of years and only sometimes sold as a vintage wine. Also, Port is only sold with a vintage in years of exceptional quality.
[edit] Bottler's and importer's information in the wine label
Sometimes a wine label may include the producer, the bottler and the merchant's names. The bottler's name must always be included in the label. The importer's name must be included in the label only for countries outside the Common Market. While it is not necessary for a wine to be bottled at its place of origin, it is obligatory for all classed growth claret and vintage port to be bottled in Bordeaux and Oporto.[1] Also, bottling of Alsace must be done within the appellation.[1] Thus, it is important to look for terms such as mis en bouteille au château or mis au domaine because they tell you the wine is estate bottled.[1]
[edit] Misleading information
Some labels may include fancy terms that are often misleading. The term Blanc de blancs may be included in a label. This term means "white wine made from white grapes". The fact is that all white wines, with the exception of a few sparkling wines, are made of white grapes. Thus, the term is not really telling you anything new. Also, although the word château is usually associated with Bordeaux, not all wines that are named this are from Bordeaux, nor is the winery (or any structure in the winery) a château. The name château can even be included in wines from Australia or California. Labels of Vin de pays never include the word château.[1]
Cru, a word used to classify wines can mean different things. For example, in the Médoc part of Bordeaux, this terms means the château is one of the classified growths in the regions. In St-Emilion, the term cru is of little importance since there are many undistinguished grand crus. For Provence the term cru classé is included only for historical reasons. On the other hand, the use of the term cru in Switzerland has no foundation and it is included at the producer's discretion.[1]
[edit] Neck and back labels
Some wines include neck and/or back labels. The neck label may include the vintage date and the back label usually gives extra (and usually optional) information about the wine. Government required warnings are usually found in the back label, as well as UPC codes. For example, the United States requires wines, and any alcoholic beverages, to include a warning regarding the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. The label also has to mention the possibility of a reduced ability to drive while intoxicated.It is also a requirement in the United States that wines mention whether or not they contain sulfites.
[edit] Wine laws
There are different reasons for wine laws. Some labeling regulations are designed to prevent wine from sounding better than it is.[1] Also, it is illegal to say that a wine is of a certain variety when it actually is from another.
The label must also include the name and address of the bottler of the wine. If the bottler is someone other than the producer the bottled will say that the wine was bottled by X bottled for Y producer.[1] Table wines may carry the name of the bottler and the postal code. The label must also include the country of origin.
The size of the font is also regulated for mandatory information. Alcohol content must be included in the label. In Australia and the United States a wine label must also mention that it has sulfites.
In some instances, connotations of quality are not allowed for table wines. Only a colour and flavour are allowed.[1] The use of words such as Cuveé and grand vin in labels is controlled.[1] As mentioned above, a vin de pays must never be from a château, but from a domaine.
[edit] EU Regulations
Within the European Union, regulations mandate that this information be provided on the label:
- the type of wine (e.g. vin de pays, table wine, or AOC)
- the name and address of the wine producer, bottler, or salesman
- the country of origin
- the wine's volume (e.g. 750 ml)
- the percent alcohol by volume (if the ABV exceeds 1.2%), which can deviate at most 0.4% from the real grade
Additional information may be included at the discretion of the wine producer. This may include:
- more specific information on the sweetness of wine (e.g. brut or demi-sec)
- the vintage year
- the grape variety
- the Lage or detailed name of the vineyard
- the wine region e.g. Rheinhessen
- names of people involved in the wine's distribution (e.g. "Selected by..."/"Sélectionné par..." or "Imported by..."/"Importé par...")
- medals or other prizes awarded to the wine
- recommendations for use (e.g. "Serve chilled")
It is not necessary to indicate an expiration date on wine labels.
[edit] Allergen Warnings
New Zealand and Australian labeling regulations have required an allergen warning to appear on all labels since 2002 due to the use of egg whites, milk, and isinglass[2] in the fining and clarifying of the wine. The United States is considering similar requirements. Winemakers in the U.S. have been resistant to this requirement since not every wine is put through a fining process, with the decision to do such a process normally not being made till long after the labels have already been ordered. This could mean that bottles would be label with an allergen warning when there have no exposure to the allergen at all. [3]
[edit] Collecting wine labels
Wine labels have long been collected. For some people this evolves into a full-fledged hobby, with collections organized by theme, country, or region. For others, saving labels may be part of maintaining a wine tasting-notes journal, or just simply to remember a particular wine.
While labels were once easily steamed off, recent automatic bottling and labeling processes at wineries have led to the use of stronger glues. Removing these labels is often difficult and may result in considerable damage to the label. A recent, though by no means universal, innovation to bypass this problem is the use of bottles that come with the ability to tear off a small part of the label in order to remind the drinker of the name and bearing of the wine.
If full label removal is desired, a number of methods are used today. A common approach to removal involves putting some hot water inside the bottle which makes the hold of the glue weaker. A knife can then be used to remove the label from one side by lifting it off with even power.
Some companies have marketed label removal kits. These apply a strong, transparent sticker over the label surface. The goal is to carefully pull off the sticker and literally tear the front design of the label away from the glued back. In practice, varying degrees of success are encountered and sometimes extensive damage to the label will occur.
[edit] Bibliography
- Franson, Paul. Labels gone wild. Wine Enthusiast, 2006 (March), 19(3), 28-33.
- George, Rosemary, The Simon & Schuster Pocket Wine Label Decoder, 1989.
[edit] Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n George, Rosemary, The Simon & Schuster Pocket Wine Label Decoder, 1989.
- ^ Food Standards Australian and New Zealand (2004) Wine and the labelling of certain substances that may cause adverse reactions
- ^ D. Sogg Wine Producers Struggle With Proposal to Require Allergen Warnings Wine Spectator pg 22 March 31st, 2007
