Understand wine labels

On the wine label, the information is printed, featuring a wine as clearly as possible. The following data are especially important on a label:

1. Producer
   The producer is the person who produced the wine.
2. Bottlers
   The producer does not necessarily have the necessary equipment to bottle a wine in bottles. If the wine is not bottled by the producer, is also indicated for the bottler producer (usually in smaller type). Are producer and bottler of wine the same, it is a producer bottling.
   
3. Cultivation land
   The country of origin of the wine, such as Germany, France etc.
4. Growing area
   A further limitation to the regional origin of the wine. In Germany, for example, the 13 growing regions (Rheingau, Palatinate, Franconia, etc.). In France, Italy and other countries with protected designation of origin (SOP, DOP, etc.) in addition to the growing area at the same time a certain type of wine (grape varieties, expansion, etc.) determined.
5. Location
   The narrowest narrowing of the origin of the grapes. A location information is usually only a few areas, eg in Germany or Burgundy. One layer is a few acres in size, but big impact on the character of a wine.
6. Alcohol content
   The indication of alcoholic strength on the label is mandatory in all countries.
7. Grape (s)
   The grapes that make up the wine, is an indication which is often explicitly stated on the label. Very common is the example in Germany or Austria, but also in the New World. In other countries (France, Italy), the grapes are often implicitly defined by the origin. There shall be a "Sancerre AOP" as only Sauvignon Blanc. The Sauvignon Blanc is still not explicitly stated on the label.
8. Ratings / rankings
   In the different producing countries and growing areas, there are various predicates and classifications, with which the wine can be called. In Germany and Austria, the predicate must be based on the weight of the wine. The predicates range from "Cabinet" on "Late Harvest", "selection" and "berry selection" to "dry berry selection" and "ice". In other countries there are classifications that depend on the producer (eg Bordeaux) or of a position (eg, in Burgundy). The world's most widely used classification is probably "reserve". The exact rules vary from country to country of cultivation cultivation. In general, however, it is a wine that has been stored longer before he comes to the sale.
9. Bottle contents
10. Year
11. Sweetness
    Distributed mainly in Germany and Austria. In German wines means not specified in the rule that it is a sweet wine.

Here are three examples that illustrate this:

	This wine comes from Bordeaux, but what one can only recognize it, that is specified as a region "Haut-Medoc." This region is located in Bordeaux. The text "Mis en Bouteille au Chateau" means "bottled at the winery / castle", it is therefore a producer bottling.
	In addition to the information printed here is "Matured in oak barrels," marked by the label that this wine is aged in small oak barrels. The word "producer filling" makes clear that the wine was bottled on the estate. A position statement was not the wine, which is relatively rare in Germany.
	This Italian wine from the region of Franciacorta. This is a specified region (DOC). The acronym stands for quality wine VQPRD from specific growing regions and is partly used for DOC wines.

Utz Graafmann