Wine Labels 101

United States			Italy			France			Germany

These labels represent different countries with different sets of labeling regulations, but they all provide the same general information, with only relatively minor differences in format and content.  Below is an explanation for each number.

1.  Wine maker or winery.  The company that made the wine or the wine's trademark name.

2.  Appellation.  The country or region where the grapes for this wine were grown.

3.  Vintage.  The year in which the grapes were harvested.  This is not the year in which the wine was bottled.

4.  Variety.  The specific kind of grapes from which the wine was made.

5.  Ripeness.  Reflects the ripeness of the grapes and the quality of the finished wine.  This is primarily used in Germany and Austria.

6.  Estate Bottling and Winery Information.  Made from grapes grown and harvested in the winery's own vineyards.  This will be disclosed on the label.  For example, the United States, "Estate Bottled" or "Grown, Produced and Bottled."

7.  Other required information.  This may vary widely depending on national regulations.  For example, they may have the serial number received during testing (German), their ranking from traditional classification (French),  "Surgeon General Warning" or notices that the wine contain sulfites (US), alcohol content, and size of the bottle.