Reader Poll: What's in a Wine Label?

  I'd like to pose a question to my readers: How do YOU read a wine label? What is the relevant information you look for when deciding whether to buy a particular bottle? And what is the fluff you look beyond? I'm considering a column on this topic, and while I know what I respond to on a wine label, I'd like to hear your perspectives. So please let me know in the comments.

Obviously, the following are relevant, if not crucial:

• The producer (Winery, chateau, etc., although this sometimes blurs into "brand" ... )
• Grape variety
• Place of origin (Country, state, appellation, district, vineyard name, etc)
• Vintage year - perhaps less relevant for $5 "California" wines, but more so for high-end bottlings.

But what about some other information:

• Pretty picture/artwork (critters)
• Importer's name
• Alcohol content
• Back label blurbs
• Government warning(s)
• Ingredient labeling (if there - if not, should it be? By this I mean disclosure of additives, fining agents, oak chips, flavoring or barrels, etc.)

What other things do you look for when sizing up a bottle on the store shelf?

• Screwcap vs. cork? (No way to tell if it's a natural cork until too late, of course.)
• Bottle weight?

Cheers!
Dave

Comments

[Jeff Siegel]

Besides grape/region and producer, the alcohol level and importer if it's a foreign wine. The rest of its fluff, sadly.

[Heidi O'Leska]

The single most important thing for me is the region. Yes, initially I am attracted by cool, unique labels, but if the grape varietal is from a region not known for that particular varietal, it goes back on the shelf.

[Allen Clark]

For illustration by parallel, consider the album cover. Notwithstanding the demise of the much larger canvas of the vinyl LP, even for a CD album, the cover is a medium of communication that quickly transcends the base information (artist, title, etc.) and communicates much more in terms of style (or, if you prefer, mood, approach, legacy, etc.). I think this is true of most wine labels - they usually attempt and often succeed in presenting a sense of the style of wine, or at least the intended style either for the wine or the winery in general. This can come across whether the label is largely occupied by photographic or graphic art, or simply designed text and layout (the mainstay of the old world producers). Some labels could be argued to actually achieve art, and I don't mean the likes of Mouton and Kenwood who reproduce traditional artworks on their labels. The striking labels of El Nido come to mind, but there are others in different veins, like Gundlach-Bundschu or the new line of Churchill's still wines which recently caught my eye.

[Sediment Blog]

We're rather drawn to the label which tells us the price...

[Tom]

TTB requires practically all that information except for the varietals and the photo/artwork and specifies minimum and maximum type sizes for it, so wineries don't have much of a choice when it comes to that stuff. Nutrition labeling is undoubtedly coming, the major benefit of that will no doubt be to show people how many calories are in a glass of wine -- so they can decide what not to eat instead (heaven forbid they drink less wine).

[Stephen Ballard]

Depends on my mood, but lately picking wine has become a geography lesson for me. I'll pick a country and fixate on that for a while, sampling the different regions, trying to get to know the producers, their styles, which varieties they grow. I get a sense that if its a "creative" label they are trying to attract a younger demographic, but it also makes me think they may be using more up-to-date methods in the cellar, too. Obscure labels get a nod before a well-known producer -- if I've had it before, what's the fun there? After about a year of fixating on Italy, I think its time to get to know Spain a little better.

That said, once past the country and producer, first and foremost since this will be consumed with dinner (usually), is the varietal or blend, followed by alcohol content.

[Kristopher Gawron]

Well, some of the miscellaneous fluff can be pretty fun. Of course, the origin, alcohol content, and producer are important. On the other hand, it's enjoyable to have some nice pictures for the label. You can consider it one of the minor things that make wine fine and enjoyable.