Unit 6 of 26 · Online wine course

How to Read a Wine Label: Course

Decode any wine label. 6 lessons · about 47 min

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The 6 lessons

  1. How to read a wine label: the wine's ID card

    A label is the wine's ID card: who made it, where it is from, the harvest year and its strength tell you enough to make a smart guess.

    You will be able to:

    • find the producer, place and vintage on any label
    • explain what an appellation and a vintage are
    • make a smart guess from place and year
    about 8 min

  2. Old World vs New World labels: place or grape?

    Why European labels name the place and New World labels name the grape, what each name promises, and how to find the grape a place name hides.

    You will be able to:

    • tell an Old World label from a New World one
    • explain why European labels name the place, not the grape
    • decode Chablis, Rioja, Chianti and Sancerre into their grapes
    about 8 min

  3. French wine classifications: the smaller the place

    How a French label ranks wine by its tie to a place: AOC, IGP and Vin de France, the rings inside an appellation, and what each Cru word really ranks.

    You will be able to:

    • explain why a smaller place means stricter rules
    • rank AOC, IGP and Vin de France correctly
    • decode Cru words by region on a label
    about 8 min

  4. Italian wine classifications: DOCG, DOC, IGT and Vino

    What Italy's four label tiers promise, what DOCG adds on top of DOC, why great wines can be humble IGT, and three label words: Classico, Riserva, Superiore.

    You will be able to:

    • order Italy's four label tiers from strictest to loosest
    • explain what DOCG adds and what it cannot promise
    • decode Classico, Riserva and Superiore on an Italian label
    about 7 min

  5. Spanish and German labels: time versus ripeness

    Spanish words like Crianza and Reserva tell you how long a wine aged; German words like Kabinett and Spätlese tell you how ripe the grapes were.

    You will be able to:

    • read Spain's quality stamps and Rioja's coloured back-label seals
    • order Spanish ageing words and German ripeness levels
    • explain why a German ripeness level is not sweetness
    about 8 min

  6. Label words: which ones are real promises?

    Some label words are set by law, like Estate Bottled, Spain's Reserva and Champagne's Brut. Others, like Old Vine, mean what the winery says. Learn to tell them apart.

    You will be able to:

    • tell rule words from marketing words on a label
    • explain what Estate Bottled and Reserve really promise
    • pick the driest sparkling wine from its sweetness word
    about 8 min

Related reading on Winelingo: How to Read a Wine Label