Labelling Information

The amount of information required on wine labels seems to increase dramatically each year. In the past, approaches to wine labelling differed significantly between countries but the demands of international trade have led to a gradual convergence in the types of information required on a label (if not necessarily the underlying philosophies). The following basic items of information are now mandatory in virtually every country in some form or another.

Wine designation: usually this will be a self-explanatory term such as ‘wine’ or ‘sparkling wine’. Wines made within the eu must, where applicable, indicate their status as a pdo or pgi and/or the name of the relevant PDO or PGI. In the US, the ‘class and type’ designation may be a generic term such as ‘table wine’ (for wines between 7% and 14% alcohol) or a grape variety name.