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What information does a wine label contain?
The wine label must contain all the information that identifies the wine as clearly as possible. There are wine law regulations for this. The following information is particularly important:
- Producer
The producer is the person who has produced the wine, i.e. who has grown, pressed and fermented the grapes himself and who has vinified and bottled the wine himself. - Bottler
The bottler does not necessarily have to be the producer. He is the one who has bottled the wine. If the producer and the bottler of the wine are identical, it is a producer bottling. - Growing country
The country from which the wine comes. - Growing region
A more detailed regional delimitation of the origin of the wine. In Germany and Austria these are the wine-growing regions, in France, Italy, Spain and other countries the protected designations of origin(AOP, DOP etc.) define not only the wine-growing region but also a specific type of wine (grape varieties, ageing etc.). - Location
The narrowest delimitation of the origin of the grapes. A vineyard location is only common in a few countries, e.g. in Germany or Burgundy. A vineyard is only a few hectares in size, but can have a great influence on the character of the wine through its terroir. - Grape variety(ies)
The grape variety(ies) that make up the wine are mainly specified in Germany, Austria and also in the New World. In other countries such as France or Italy, the grape varieties are often implicitly defined by the designation of origin. - Vintage
The year in which the grapes were ripened. - Predicates/quality designations
In the various growing countries and regions, there are different predicates and additional designations that can be used to specify the quality level of the wine. In Germany and Austria, the predicate (e.g. Kabinett, Spätlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese) is based on the must weight and thus on the ripeness of the grapes. In other countries there are classifications that depend on the producer (e.g. in Bordeaux) or on the location (e.g. in Burgundy). The additional designation Reserve or Riserva or Reserva usually means that the wine is stronger and has a somewhat higher alcohol content and a longer maturing period behind it. - Flavour/sweetness
An (indirect) information about the residual sugar content is mainly common in Germany and Austria. In the case of German wines, no indication usually means that it is a sweet wine, whereas in the case of Austrian wines it usually means that it is a dry wine. - Alcohol content
The indication of the alcohol content on the label is mandatory in all countries. - Bottle content
The volume of the bottle (indicated in litres, centilitres or millilitres) is also compulsory in all countries.