Labels

The label on a wine bottle serves the same purpose as any other label. It is there to provide the consumer with information. Every label must, by law, include certain items of information. These items are:

  • Wine's Name
  • Size of Bottle
  • Vintage
  • Wine's Alcoholic Content
  • Wine Producer's Name and Address
  • Bottler's Name (if different from producer)
  • Importer's Name
  • Shipper's Name (if different from the importer)
  • Wine's Quality Level
  • Whether Wine Contains Sulphites
  • Where Wine was Bottled
  • Wine's Country of Origin
  • Wine's Region and Appellation

Some labels also include the grape variety

Glasses

White Wine - Glass that is narrow and tapers sharply near the top. This allows for a better aroma concentration.

Red Wine - Glass with an oval or egg-shaped bowl that tapers slightly at the top. The ideal glass will hold between 10-22 ounces. The larger surface area allows the wine to breathe.

White wine glass and red wine glass

Bottles

Although there are exceptions to every rule, generally speaking the shape and color of a wine bottle indicate the style and type of wine found inside the bottle.

White Wine

  • White wines of Bordeaux, Sauvignon Blancs, Semillons - green or clear glass with high shoulders
  • White Burgundies, Chablis, Chardonnays - green bottles with sloping shoulders
  • Wines of Alsace and Germany - tall, slender bottles

Red Wine

  • Red wines of Bordeaux - green with high shoulders
  • Burgundy, Wines of the Rhone - greenish brown with sloping shoulders