What's in a label?

Some of what we want to know about a bottle of wine appears on the front and back label, per government mandate. This includes the brand name, producer name, alcohol content, wine type, net contents, sulfite information and government warning. Additional information supplied by the winemaker includes vintage date, appellation information, designations of quality (Reserve, Cellar Select, etc.) and a description of the wine.

The Vintage Date

The vintage date indicates the year in which 95 percent of the grapes used to make the wine were harvested. (Non-vintage wines are blends of grapes harvested in different years.) The significance of this information is twofold. It lets you know how long the wine has aged, and the vintage year of the harvest.

While you would need to know more about a particular wine for its age to have real meaning, in general terms, reds taste better with age (four to seven years old), while whites are better in their youth (one to three years old).

The vintage year is also significant in that some years are better than others for growing winegrapes. Of course, wine quality is not solely dependent upon the climatic conditions of a particular year. Vineyard and winemaking practices are critically important factors.

Varietal Type

"Variety" refers to the grape or vine type, such as Chardonnay or Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the vineyard. Once the grapes have been made into wine, we say, "varietal" to refer to the type of wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Noir.

While there are hundreds of grape varieties, wine is made from less than 50 of them. Each variety possesses a different flavor profile and favors different growing conditions, including weather, soil, elevation and exposure.

Major red varietals include: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir. Cabernet is the most full-bodied of these wines, and pairs well with hearty and rich foods. Merlot is the softest, and pairs nicely with foods prepared with supple flavors and textures. Zinfandel can be spicy and stands up to foods that are the same. In general, Pinot Noir is a medium-bodied and fruity wine, although it varies in flavor from producer to producer. For this reason, Pinot Noir is considered an ideal food wine.

The most popular white varietals are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. While light enough to pair with seafood and white meats, Chardonnay is also the richest and most full-flavored of the major white varietals. This versatility makes it the most popular varietal wine in the United States. Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and herbalÑrefreshing by itself or with salads and lighter fare. Sauvignon Blanc is also called Fumé Blanc. Both are made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape.

For a wine to be labeled a particular varietal, it must be comprised of at least 75 percent of that grape variety. Wines made from less than 75 percent of a particular varietal are called blends. They are labeled as Red or White Table Wine.

Estate Bottled

A designation of quality, estate bottled wines must be made of grapes grown entirely on property owned or controlled (through a long-term lease) by the wine producer. By law, the wine must be made completely on site at facilities owned by the producer.

Many vintners do not own their vineyards and in some cases, do not have their own winery. These winemakers buy grapes from growers and lease space at a winemaking facility. Most wineries purchase at least some of their grapes from independent growers.

Appellation of Origin

Appellation of origin refers to the country, state, county or viticultural area in which the grapes were grown. In the case of country, state or county, 75 percent of the grapes must be from that location. In the case of a viticultural area, 85 percent of the grapes must come from that area.

Viticultural areas are regulated and officially recognized for their wine-producing pedigree. Examples of viticultural areas and the wines for which they are best known include the Sonoma and Napa Valleys for Cabernet Sauvignon, the Carneros Region for Chardonnay and the Russian River Valley for Pinot Noir.

Vineyard Designation

In an effort to more closely connect wine character with the land on which it is grown, some vintners make wine from a particular vineyard and put that vineyard name on the bottle of wine. Vineyard-designated wines are often limited-production wines of distinct character. You may have heard the French term terroir used to describe a particular vineyard or growing area. While there is no literal translation, essentially it means the soil, which many consider to be the most influential determinant of winegrape flavor.

In its broadest sense, terroir is used to describe the entire environment of a particular growing site, including microclimate, soil, sun exposure, irrigation and elevation. With more vintners and wine drinkers recognizing the impact of terroir on wine, the trend is smaller designations of origin.