Wine label
Wine labels are important sources of information for consumers since they tell the type and origin of the wine. The
Information provided
Label design
Some wineries place great importance on the label design while others do not. There are wineries that have not changed their label's design in over 60 years, as in the case of
Most New World consumers, and increasingly European consumers, prefer to purchase wine with varietal labels and/or with brand name labels. A recent study of younger wine drinkers in the U.S. found that they perceived labels with châteaux on them to be stuffy or old-fashioned. Producers often attempt to make selecting and purchasing wine easy and non-intimidating by making their labels playful and inviting.[2] The financial success of New World wine attributed to striking label designs has led some European producers to follow suit, as in the case of the redesign of Mouton Cadet.[3]
Differences by country
Wine classification systems differ by country. Wines can be classified by region and area only. For example, there are 151 châteaux in
In Spain and Portugal, the authenticity of the wine is guaranteed by a seal on the label or a band over the cork under the capsule.[1] This is promulgated by the growers' association in each area.
Almost every New World wine is labelled by grape variety and geographic origin.
Wines whose label does not indicate the name of the winery or the winemaker are referred to as "cleanskin" wine, particularly in Australia.
Degree of sweetness information is particularly inconsistent, with some countries' manufacturers always indicating it in standardized fashion in their language (brut, dolce, etc.), some traditionally not mentioning it at all or referring to it informally and vaguely in a rear-label description, and yet other countries' regulators requiring such information to be included (commonly on a secondary label) even when such information has to be added by the importer. In certain cases of conflicting regulations, a wine may, for example, even be labelled "sweet" by a manufacturer, but also "semi-sweet" (as per a different law) in the local language translation on a supplementary label mandated by the jurisdiction where it is sold.
Importance of labels in different types of wine
The information contained in labels is important to determine the quality of the wine. For example, great importance needs to be attached to vintage dates when there are differences in climate.[1] The taste and quality of the wine can change from year to year depending on the climate. Knowing the vintage is specially important when buying fine wines because the quality of the wine can vary from year to year due to climatic differences. The quickest way to determine the quality of the year is to use a wine chart.[1]
Vintage dates may not be important, for example, there are no vintage dates on bottles of sherry. On the other hand, wines may or may not have vintages.
Bottler and importer information
A wine label may include the producer, the bottler and the merchant's names. The bottler's name must always be included in the label. The importer's name must be included in the label only for countries outside the
Misleading information
Labels may include terms that may be perceived as misleading. The term
Although the word château is most associated with Bordeaux, it does not mean that the wine does come from Bordeaux, and there may not be any kind of building – let alone a château – associated with the vineyard. The name château can even be included in wines from Australia or California. Labels of Vin de pays never include the word château.[1]
Cru, a word used to classify wines can mean different things. For example, in the Médoc part of Bordeaux, this terms means the château is one of the classified growths in the regions. In Saint-Émilion, the term cru is of little importance because it bears little relation to quality. For Provence the term cru classé is included only for historical reasons. On the other hand, the use of the term cru in Switzerland has no foundation and it is included at the producer's discretion.[1]
Accessibility
To better reach the market of
Neck and back labels
Neck and/or back labels may appear on a bottle. The neck label may include the vintage date and the back label usually gives extra (and usually optional) information about the wine. Government required warnings are usually found in the back label, as well as
Wine laws
There are different reasons for wine laws. Labelling regulations can be intended to prevent wine from sounding better than it is.[1] Also, it is illegal to say that a wine is made from one grape when it is actually from another.
The label must also include the name and address of the bottler of the wine. If the producer is not the bottler, the bottle will say that the wine was bottled by X bottler for Y producer.[1] Table wines may carry the name of the bottler and the postal code. The label must also include the country of origin.
The size of the font is also regulated for mandatory information. Alcohol content must be included in the label, with some jurisdictions also requiring brief nutritional data, such as caloric value, carbohydrate/sugar content, etc. In Australia and the United States a wine label must also mention that it has
Regulations may permit table wines to be labelled with only the colour and flavour, and no indication of quality.
Allergen warnings
Collecting
Paper wine labels have long been collected. This can turn into a full-fledged hobby, with collections organized by theme, country, or region. For others, saving labels may be part of maintaining a wine tasting-notes journal, or just simply to remember a particular wine. Wine labels, or Bottle Tickets, are also an area of interest to collectors. The Wine Label Circle was formed in 1952. These objects of silver, mother-of-pearl, ivory or enamel were, in the 18th and 19th centuries, used to identify the contents of the decanter or bottle on which they were hung, the contents of which may have included in addition to wines and spirits, sauces, condiments, flavourings, perfumes, toilet waters, medicines, inks, soft drinks, preserves and cordials [10][11]
While labels were once easily steamed off, recent automatic bottling and labeling processes at wineries have led to the use of stronger glues. Removing these labels is often difficult and may result in considerable damage to the label. A recent, though by no means universal, innovation to bypass this problem is the use of bottles that come with the ability to tear off a small part of the label in order to remind the drinker of the name and bearing of the wine.
If full label removal is desired, a common approach involves putting hot water inside the bottle which makes the hold of the glue weaker. A knife can then be used to remove the label from one side by lifting it off with even pressure.
Commercial label removal kits apply a strong, transparent sticker over the label surface. The goal is to carefully pull off the sticker and literally tear the front design of the label away from the glued back. In practice, varying degrees of success are encountered and extensive damage to the label can occur.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n George, Rosemary, The Simon & Schuster Pocket Wine Label Decoder, 1989.
- ^ Franson, Paul. Labels gone wild. Wine Enthusiast, 2006 (March), 19(3), 28–33.
- ^ Benady, David, Design Week (March 19, 2008). "Wine label branding off the shelf".
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)[permanent dead link] - ^ Karen Meyer (2008-05-01). "Braille wine labels". ABC News. Archived from the original on 2011-06-29. Retrieved 2010-02-23.
- ^ Washington Post – Vintners Who Share a Vision.
- ^ Wine Label Regulations summary from the US Department of the Treasury, Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (July 2006).
- ^ Food Standards Australian and New Zealand (2004) Wine and the labelling of certain substances that may cause adverse reactions Archived 2007-03-28 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ D. Sogg Wine Producers Struggle With Proposal to Require Allergen Warnings Wine Spectator p. 22, 31 March 2007.
- ^ Commission Regulation (EU) No 1266/2010 of 22 December 2010 amending Directive 2007/68/EC as regards labelling requirements for wines.
- ^ The Book of the Wine-Label, N. M. Penzer, 1947, London
- ^ Wine Labels 1730–2003 A Worldwide History, Ed Dr John Salter, 2004, London
Further reading
- Franson, Paul. "Labels gone wild." Wine Enthusiast, 2006 (March), 19(3), pp. 28–33.
- George, Rosemary. The Simon & Schuster Pocket Wine Label Decoder, 1989.
External links
- Information about wine labels and collecting Archived 2020-02-22 at the Wayback Machine
- The Artist Wine Labels of Château Mouton Rothschild