How to Read California Wine Labels

A wine label is much like an address to a house. Most wine labels will tell the consumer who made the wine, the year it was made, the varietal, and the vineyard and appellation where the grapes came from. But, like all things wine, there is more complexity to the story if you dig a little deeper.

The Brand Name: Winery or individual brand within a winery’s portfolio.

Vintage: The year that the grapes were harvested. The requirement is that 95% of the grapes used in the wine must have been harvested in the year listed. Non-vintage wines can be a combination of different vintages.

Varietal: In the United States, wines are often labeled by their varietal, such as Pinot Noir. In Europe, on the other hand, it is common for wines to be labeled regionally, such as a Rhone or Burgundy. When labeled by varietal, a wine must contain at least 75% of that grape in order to bear its name. If the wine is a blend with less than 75% of any varietal, the winery will create a proprietary name for the wine such as Wolff Winery’s Brixie’s Red, a blend of Sarah, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.

Reserve, Estate and Vineyard Designate: Although there are no legal definitions of the word Reserve, most wineries limit this term to describe their finest wines. Estate wines, on the other hand, must execute all aspects of production onsite. Therefore, the grapes must be grown from the winery’s vineyards and then pressed, fermented, stored, bottled and labeled on the winery’s property. In order to list a vineyard designate, 95% of the wine must come from the specified vineyard.

Appellation of Origin: This identifies where the grapes came from, whether state, county or American Viticulture Area (AVA). If a sate is specified, 100% of the wine must come from this state. If a county is listed, 75% of the wine must come from within the counties borders. If multiple counties are listed, the percentages of the grapes grown in these c ounties must be listed. If an AVA is listed, 85% of the grapes must come from that designated AVA. An AVA is identified and regulated by the Tax and Trade Bureau as having unique characteristics such as climate, soil, elevation, physical features and sometimes historical data.