Deciphering the Wine Label
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau or TTB (how does this acronym fit?) regulates what you see on a wine bottle label. They don’t tell a wine maker if her label art is in good taste (shouldn’t somebody?), but this government body does dictate almost everything else, from font size, warnings about alcohol and pregnancy, to permitted grape varieties and much more. The state of Oregon also regulates some aspects of wine labeling and is actually more restrictive than the Fed. The minimum requirements for a US wine label are:
Brand – The big name on the label
Class/Type/Designation – Class separates still wine from sparkling, table from dessert, etc. Designations such as varietal or type and appellation are also important classifications.
Location – Name and address of who and where bottled
Alcohol Content – Wines over 14% alcohol by volume must include this information on the label
Volume/Quantity – Always in metric, may be molded into bottle, but often on the label. See an earlier “True Facts” for all kinds of information on standard wine bottle sizes.
Other label requirements in the US are a Declaration of Sulfites and a Government Health Warning. Why no labeling for the benefits of moderate wine consumption?
Most everything else on the label is optional, but may still come with regulations and restrictions. You can’t say stuff that isn’t true, and for the most part you can’t promise more than you deliver.You’ll often see vintage on your bottle of Cabernet (or other wine). It doesn’t have to be included, but if it is, in the US, 95% of the wine in the bottle has to have come from grapes harvested and fermented in the specified year. Wine evaporates from barrel and needs to be topped off – often with younger wine. There is that 5% wiggle room to allow this practice. Wines from a single year aren’t necessarily better. Non-Vintage Champagne for instance can be consistent and excellent because it IS a blend of up to several years of wines. On the other hand, when Mother Nature smiles and blesses a certain region with optimal growing and ripening weather, listing that vintage on the label can add cache.
You may see a viticultural area (AVA) or Appellation listed. This is required if the grape variety is specified on the label, or if vintage is listed or if “Estate Bottled” is mentioned. The Appellation of Origin can be as generic as “American”, state-specific like “California”, or specify a distinct viticultural area such as “Dundee Hills”.
If a specific grape is listed, say Chardonnay, then US law says 75% of the wine must be from Chardonnay grapes. Only 75%, you say? Well the state of Oregon says 90%! http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/rules/OARS_800/OAR_845/845_010.html
What about those big jugs on the bottom shelf of the supermarket labeled with terms such as Chablis, Madeira, Burgundy, Sherry, etc., or that low-dollar Champagne from California? Weren’t those producers supposed to stop co-opting the famous place and origin names? Well, any label approved prior to March 10, 2006 is “grandfathered” in, but for all production since and moving forward the US has reached an agreement with European Community to restrict this once popular generic use of the famed names. http://www.ttb.gov/agreements/us_ec_wine_agreement.shtml
Some terms such as “Reserve”, “Old Vine” and “Chateau” are essentially unregulated in the US (but strictly regulated in other countries) and can be used or misused by anyone – buyer beware!
Other terms you might see on front or especially back labels might be:
Neutral Oak – For most winemakers this means use of oak barrels older than 3 years. After repeated use most of the effects on wine of oak from a barrel become imperceptible. By putting this on his label the winemaker wants you to know that you will get more pure fruit aromas rather than the buttery tones from newer wood.
Stainless Steel-aged is related to this in that stainless steel is very neutral and non-reactive, adding nothing to the wine nor taking any character away. You’ll often see this mentioned on bottles of aromatic and fruity whites.
Residual Sugar (or RS) - another term that is not required and has to be true if mentioned. It is also a term that can be very useful information for the consumer. The term refers to sugars left over in the wine when fermentation is stopped (hence residual). This is measured and indicated by grams per liter or g/L. Over 2 g/L residual sugar is when a wine can become perceptibly sweet, and below that is an essentially “dry” wine. Dessert wines can be in the 30 to 150 (and more) g/L range of residual sugar. Lots of factors determine how sweet a wine seems apart from the actual level of RS, however. Use the label information as a general guide to a wine’s sweetness.
Barrel fermented vs. Barrel Aged – in short, “barrel fermented” doesn’t tell you if a wine will have characteristics of an oak barrel. Winemakers choose to ferment white wine in particular in barrel for a creamy, round character. Barrel-aged is just as it sounds – storing the wine (particularly reds) in wood for tannin integration, and oaky, toasty, spicy flavors.
Sur Lie – is a label term somewhat related to barrel aging in that the wine had been left to rest on the spent yeast cells which are even sometimes stirred up (bâtonnage in French) to slowly resettle at the bottom of the barrel. Sur lie aging can give added character to a wine in the form of yeasty (obviously), biscuit or bready notes.
Organic – Seen more and more on wine labels. I’ve covered this in prior “True Facts” and will again, for sure. Organic can refer to the grapes having been from a certified organic vineyard. The wines from these “hippy” grapes may or may not be made to organic standards (very regulated and specific, BTW). Wines made to organic standards will not have added sulfites and may be label as such.
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