Decoding Wine Labels
A vintage date on the label indicates the year in which the grapes were harvested. If a vintage date is shown on the label at all, an appellation of origin smaller than a Country must also be shown. If an American or imported wine uses a State or County, or the foreign equivalent, as an appellation origin, 85% of the grapes must be from that year; if a viticultural area or the foreign equivalent is used, the percentage is raised to 95%.
BRAND NAME:
The brand name is used to identify and market a wine. A brand name may not mislead the consumer about the age, identity, origin, or other characteristics of the wine.
VARIETAL DESIGNATIONS:
Varietal designations are names of the dominant grapes used in the wine. Barbera,Tempranillo, Sangiovese and Petite Sirah are examples of grape varieties. At least 75% of the grapes used to make the wine must be of that variety and be grown in the labeled appellation.
APPELLATION OF ORIGIN:
Appellation of origin is another name for the place in which the dominant grapes used in the wine were grown. It can be the name of a Country, State, County or geographic region call a viticultural area, or their foreign equivalents. If any of these appear on the label, at least 75% of the wine is produced from grapes grown in the place named.NAME AND ADDRESS: The name and address of the bottler or importer must appear on the container. It is also permissible for a bottler/importer to use a duty authorized trade name in place of the usual operating name. Domestic wines may have this statement
further qualified with terms such as "Produced", meaning that not less than 75% of the wine was fermented at the stated address or "Vinted", which means that the wine was subjected to other treatment at the stated address.ALCOHOL CONTENT: A statement of alcohol content in percent by volume appears on most labels. As an alternative, some bottlers may label wine with an alcohol content from 7% to 14% as "Table Wine" or "Light Wine".
HEALTH WARNING STATEMENT:
By law, this statement is required on all alcohol beverages containing 0.5 percent or more alcohol by volume.
DECLARATION OF SULFITES: Required on any wine intended for interstate commerce that contains 10 or more parts per million of sulfur dioxide. Not required for wines only sold in intrastate commerce.
NET CONTENTS: The net contents of a wine container must be stated in metric units of measure. Wine must be bottled in 50ml, 100ml, 187ml, 370ml, 500ml, 750ml, 1L, 1.5L, or 3L sizes. Containers over 3L must be bottled in quantities of even liters. No other sizes may be bottled.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
VITICULTURAL AREA:
An American viticultural area is a defined grape-growing region in the U.S. with geographic features (such as soil and climate) that set it apart from the surrounding areas. A viticultural area appellation on the label indicates that 85% or more of the wine was produced from grapes grown in the named area.ESTATE BOTTLED:
"Estate Bottled" means that 100% of the wine came from grapes grown on land owned or controlled by the winery, which must be located in a viticultural area. The winery must crush and ferment the grapes and finish, age and bottle the wine in a continuous process on their premises. The winery and the vineyard must be in the same viticultural area.
OTHER DESIGNATIONS:
Wine labels are not required to bear a varietal designation. Other designations may be used to identify the wine, such as Red Wine, Rose Wine, White Wine, Table Wine (if no more than 14% alcohol by volume) or Dessert Wine (if over 14% alcohol by volume). Some imported wines are designated with a distinctive name which is permissible only on specific wines from a particular place or region within the Country of origin, for example, Asti Spumanti from Italy and Bordeaux from France.COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
Pursuant to regulations issued by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, a Country of Origin statement is required on containers of imported wines. Acceptable statements include "Product of (insert name of country)" or "Produced in (insert name of Country)".