Old World Wine Labels: Terms And Jargon

Step 1: Types of wine

There are several different categories for old world wines. There is table wine, country wine and wine with controlled appellation. The wines are categorised by how closely they stick to local wine laws and so are not always an indicator of quality.

Table wine is the most basic of these. In France it is called vin de table, in Italy vino da tavolo, in Germany, Tafelwein and in Spain, vino de la tierra.

The next step up is country wine. This applies to wines made from grapes grown in a specific region but that don't necessarily adhere to the specifications of that region's wine laws. In France it is called Vin d'pays, in Italy IGT, which stands for Indicazione Geografoca Tipica, in Spain it is called Vino de la Tierra, in Germany Qualitatswein bestimmter Anbaugebiete or QbA. Germany also has Qualitatswein mit Pradikat which means Quality wine with distinction; this is a slightly superior wine but still a regional one.

Lastly there controlled appellation wines. These are wines that stick religiously to a region's wine laws and tend to be the more famous regional wines like Burgundy or Bordeaux or Chianti.
A wine with appellation is made in a specific way as set down by
a region's wine laws. In France it is known as Appellation controlee,
in Italy Denominanzione Controllate e Garantita, or DOC, in Spain
Denominacion de Origen or DO.

Step 2: Cru

The most famous category are the Cru in France. Cru means growth. In Bordeaux there are a handful of first growths:
Chateaux Lafite, Latour, Margaux, Haut Brion, Mouton Rothschild, Cheval Blanc, Ausone and d'Yquem.
These are the finest wines in the region. There are also second, third, fourth and fifth growths which are still very good wines (and very expensive) but of slightly lesser quality the first growths. There is also, in decending order of quality Crus Bourgeois Exceptional, Crus Bourgeois Superieurs, and Cru Bourgeois. Elsewhere there are two main distinctions. That is Grand Cru and Premier Cru. You will find these categories in regions like Burgundy and Alsace. These refer to individual vineyards. A Grand Cru wine is made from the grapes from a grand cru vineyard It should be one of the best wines a region can offer. Premier Cru is the same and is still a very good wine but it is less good than a Grand Cru.

Step 3: Reserva

Reserva is a term than appears on a lot of wines, particularly on wines from the new world. Most of the time, when on New World wines, it is a marketing ploy and means nothing but in the old world on Spanish wines and on Italian wines it means that the wine has been aged. In Spain a reserva wine will have been aged for at least 3 years in both cask and bottle. One year at least must have been in an oak cask. In Italy, Riserva, just means that the wine has been aged in either cask or bottle or both.

For information on how to read wine labels from other parts of the world, watch the Videojug film 'How To Read A Wine Label'.