Little Lesson Number 11:

How To Read A Wine Label

By Nancy K. Crevier

Life is a series of tasks. Some are easier to perform than others. Some are downright tricky. Some tasks we have mastered, while others remain, for one reason or another, a mystery. The Newtown Bee is presenting a series of short articles, “Little Lessons,” meant to light the way to a new or easier way to tackle those day to day duties, or even those less commonly encountered tasks, each one accompanied by a video at www.NewtownBee.com. Welcome to the classroom.

Foreign words. Dates. Names. More names. Numbers. Beautiful artwork. No artwork. A wine label can be a frightening thing to the uninitiated, but knowing the important things to look for can take away the fear factor, said Sandy Hook Wine & Liquor store owner Mike Kerler.

“You hate to have a label scare you off,” he said. “You can find out a lot by reading the wine label, but it does vary depending on the country of origin,” he said.

European wines tend to be quite traditional, providing a lot of information in a very small space. A French wine label typically will include the region in which the grapes were grown, for instance, and will also name the vineyard on better labels, Mr Kerler said. An AOC (Appellation d’origine contrôlée) designation may be affixed to the label of a French wine, guaranteeing it comes from a specified region.

“It can be difficult to tell what kinds of grapes are in it, though, unless you know what a Bordeaux wine is,” he said. That can mean reading up a bit before heading out to the liquor store, or asking questions once you are there.

Like the French wines, the Italian wines are strictly regulated so far as what grapes can be used to create specific wines, and where those grapes are grown.

“Chianti wines can be made only from grapes grown in the Chianti region of Italy,” pointed out Mr Kerler. “Denominazione di origine controllata” on a bottle of Italian wine means that the wine is produced in a particular region using particular standards that result in a regulated wine. On a bottle of Chianti wine, the consumer may see a rooster symbol placed there by the winemaker as a symbol of quality. “Nebbiolo” or “Barbera” are examples of grape varieties, and it is not unusual to find the grape variety listed on a bottle of Italian wine.

Most wines will have a year on the bottle, indicating the year in which the grapes were harvested. It is a valuable piece of information.

“You can check the weather patterns for that year and see if the weather was conducive to great wine production in that area. People don’t think of wine as a crop, but it is. I associate the weather with how good a crop is in any given year, whether you are growing cucumbers, tomatoes — or grapes,” he said.

A wine label may also tell you how long a wine was aged before bottling, as is often the case with a Rioja wine from Spain. Crianza is the youngest wine, aged for just one year; then comes Reserva, aged for three years; and then Gran Reserva.

American wines probably boast the simplest labels, said Mr Kerler.

“The main part of the label is the grape variety itself. For the American consumer, it is most important to know what kind of grape is in the wine, to help narrow down the choice. The grape will put you in a certain direction. It’s a learning experience to know then what you want to try,” he said.

 A wine label can tell where a wine was bottled. Some are bottled at the same estate on which the grapes were grown, others are sent to larger facilities. A label will list the percentage of alcohol by volume, as well.

One other number on the label can also help in wine selection, and that is the price. “Price does make a difference,” said Mr Kerler. “You are paying for the quality. That is not to say all inexpensive wines are bad, but as you go up in price, you will generally get a better quality of wine.” That said, Mr Kerler suggested not spending a lot of money when venturing into something new. “Until you have an idea what you like, stay at around $15 a bottle. Then spend more money as you refine your taste,” he said.

A little time spent reading a wine label can pay off in selecting a wine that fits the individual, said Mr Kerler. There is always something new to be learned.