Learn
Reading a wine label
What is actually useful on a wine label and what is decoration — which words carry legal meaning, which are marketing, and which look identical but are not.
The short answer
A wine label carries three useful things: where it is from, who made it, and — sometimes — what it is made from. Almost everything else is either legally defined in ways worth knowing or marketing.
Overview
Useful: the region or appellation, the vintage, the alcohol level, the producer's name, and any sweetness indication. These genuinely tell you something.
Sometimes useful: ageing terms with legal force — Spanish Crianza and Reserva, Italian Riserva, German Prädikat levels.
Usually decoration: "Reserve" outside Spain and Italy, "old vines" almost anywhere, medals from competitions you have never heard of, and any illustration of a château.
Two traps worth knowing. Extra Dry sparkling wine is sweeter than Brut. And German Prädikat terms like Spätlese describe how ripe the grapes were, not how sweet the wine is.
The producer's name is the most reliable signal of all, and the one that takes longest to learn.
Where you can see it
- A legally defined word
- Reserva in Spain means a minimum ageing period set in law. The same word in several other countries means nothing at all.
- A word that misleads
- Extra Dry sparkling wine is sweeter than Brut. The naming is a historical accident and it catches people out constantly.
Sources
Sources consulted
- WSET educational materials and the Systematic Approach to Tasting — Wine & Spirit Education Trust
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 — wine labelling, presentation and protection of designations — European Union