Lifestyle

Label Mates

Wine labels are more than a brand name and a drawing of a Château. It’s an explanation of what’s going on in the bottle and protects consumers from making costly mistakes. Unfortunately, the code isn’t uniformly applied, but there are key words to look for that will help you make sense of it all.
Tips by Walbert Zalazar | June 1, 2018 | Lifestyle

1. ABV: Alcohol By Volume, the percent is usually found on the SE corner of the label. Its purpose is to ward off teens, operators of motor vehicles and pregnant mothers.

2. Appellation: Table Wine, IGT, DOC & DOCG classifications are a superfluous way to say, “Verified Authentic” by the Italian government. DOCG is the most stringent, and Foss Marai’s collection falls into this category.

3. Bottler Info: The wine’s birth certificate with the name and location of where it was bottled.

4. Cuvée: French for vintage, in the viticulture world it can refer to a flagship product, blend or to lend an air of sophistication since the term isn’t regulated in Italy.

5. Importer: The role of the importer is to promote and distribute wines in the interest of the producer and serves as a point of contact for consumers.

6. Producer: The most prominent word on the label belongs to the Winery’s name, or in some cases 2nd-most prominent after appellation.

7. Riserva: Also known around the world as “Reserve”, this type of wine is aged for at least 27 months after maturation, consistent with its uniquely specific style.

8. Sugar Content: This is the announcement of the level of sweetness from driest to least dry: Brut, Extra Dry, Dry, Demi-Sec. Customarily advertised on sparkling wine labels.

9. Vintage: This is the year that a particular wine was created and some lucky person’s future happiness was born.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
› Walbert Zalazar is the Creative Director of Martle Holdings LTD. He reminds everyone to celebrate responsibly and contact him for more information on the entire line of Foss Marai Italian Sparkling Wines at [email protected]; FossMarai.com.