How To Read Wine Labels
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How To Read Wine Labels
Intimidated by wine labels? No need. All the information you want is there if you know how to find it. We'll show you how by comparing American and French labels.
Step 1: Look For The Grape On An American Label
On an American wine label, you can always figure out what kind of wine you're getting by looking for the grape variety. That will tell you if the wine is a Merlot, a Sauvignon Blanc, a Pinot Noir, or another variety. You will also see the vintage, which is the year the wine was made, the name and location of the winemaker, and sometimes even the specific vineyard.
Step 2: Look for The Region On A French Label
On a French wine label, the most important piece of information is the place from which the wine comes. From that information, if you know a little bit about what grapes grow where, you can figure out what kind of wine you're getting. French wine labels will also tell you the vintage and the winemaker, and in case you're not completely sure the label information is correct, it will often feature an Appellation, or a governmental agency confirmation that the wine is what it says it is. In addition to the regular label, French wine bottles usually carry an importer label on the bottle's neck.
Step 3: Ignore The Back
The back label on both American and French bottles of wine usually just includes some generic, peripheral information about how the wine tastes or how lovely the vineyard looks. Feel free to ignore the back label; you already know everything you need to know.