Reading Wine Labels
Most of us are stopped dead in our tracks the first time that we are confronted with reading a wine label. It needn't be so. A basic knowledge is easy to achieve and will continue your appreciation of this fascinating subject.

In it's most basic form, a label falls into two (2) distinct categories; varietal and geographic. Typically varietal labels are found on "New" World wines including those from the United States and Canada, Australia and New Zealand while geographic labels are found on "Old" World or European wines. As you can imagine, the European wines are a bit more difficult to decipher. So, rather than torture ourselves right away, let's begin with the "New" World.

New World Wine Labels
A wine label tells a compelling story about the wine. You will immediately notice the name of the vineyard on the label, the vintage (year produced), the area (or appellation), and the grape variety (varietal). This is a unique distinction from the European producers. Their region generally implies grape varieties so the wineries would see it as redundant if both appellation and varietal were on the label. New World wineries, on the other hand, are still going through an experimentation stage to see which varieties work best in given areas (and even sub appellation) so the need is greater for more thorough identification.

The editors and staff of leesmarket.com have compiled a brief synopsis of how to read the labels of the predominant wine producing countries in the "New World". We hope that this will bring a greater and more enjoyable understanding of the wines of these countries to you.

French Wine Labels
After centuries of experimentation and deep seeded tradition, European winemakers have settled into the concept that a region (or appellation) describes the characteristics of their wine better than a simple varietal designation. And there is much evidence to support that contention, not the least of which is the flavor of the wine. Over the centuries, vineyards especially the French vineyards have planted and replanted a variety of grape types in an attempt to find the ideal grape for the soil and atmospheric conditions. The theory is that if you plant the right variety in the right conditions the best juice will be produced.

The region speaks volumes about the type of grapes that are grown there. For example, if it is a red burgundy it is most surely produced from the pinot noir grape. For more on the dominant grape varieties found within appellations or regions, please click here. You may also want to simply know that this is the case and refer back to it later on, for this is really an essay on reading wine labels.

Other European Wine Labels
As stated previously, the French Wine standard has become the "unofficial" standard for winemaking throughout Europe. And although there are some striking differences found between countries (as one might expect) the structure remains very much influenced by the French.

As with the "New World" wines, our staff at Lees Market has compiled a brief synopsis of how to read the labels of the 4 predominant countries in Europe. While a bit more complex, they nonetheless have an important story to tell for those who are willing to "listen".