All You Need To Know About Wine Labels
Reading wine labels is the focus of this part of our wine 101 guide…
If you buy wine, knowing how to read a wine label is a useful skill to have. Finding out what (and what not) to look for will help you buy wines that meet your perfectly your preferences. So, lets look at each aspect of a wine label individually.
Firstly, the vintage; most bottles of wines stocked in stores are meant to be drunk immediately so look for ones that were produced in recent years. This particularly applies if youre looking for a fresh, lively, fruity wine at a reasonable price. Of course, there are some vintages of certain wines that are well known, but these tend to be pricey; research these wines online or in specialty magazines to learn about them before you buy.
Secondly, the geography; there are lots of famous regions and vineyards around the world (too many to list here) so this can be a bit of a lottery and unless you do prior research. However, as a general rule, the more specific a wine label is about its source (i.e. by stating a particular vineyard or town rather than a region or a country), the better it’s likely to be. The reasoning being that lesser wine producers will often try to cash in on the reputation of famous wine producing regions, even though their grapes were grown in agriculturally poor areas of that region.
Thirdly, the alcohol content; it’s recommended that you look for one at around 14% or less.You may think that the higher the alcohol content, the more value you’ll get from it, but wines with higher levels of alcohol than that tend to be unbalanced and, if drinking for pleasure rather than to get drunk, wont be very enjoyable.
Lastly, the fine details; including information such as the dates the grapes were harvested and the wine was bottled, whether the grapes were grown and fermented at the same place (called estate-bottling), and the phone number of the winery are all positive signs. Details such as these add to a wines authenticity and indicate that the wine producer cares about and has faith in their product.
