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One of the most baffling subjects that confronts the budding wine enthusiast is the deciphering of the myriad of info contained on the bottle label, specially that contained on wine bottles from European nations. Once the basic guidelines are taken on board it becomes a lot simpler. Whereas most New World nations put details of the grape varieties on the front label, a lot of European regions do not, and as this is the most simple of data for taste purposes why is this the case?

European winemakers tend to place a lot more emphasis on the spot of origin. For instance, a Bordeaux red generally wont say Cabernet or Merlot on the front label, but instead have the name of the chateau exactly where it was made, and generally the portion of Bordeaux exactly where it was produced, for instance Haut-Medoc. Similarly a Sancerre is entirely Sauvignon Blanc, but an in depth analysis of the label will leave you none the wiser. For the French the critical aspect is that the wine comes from Sancerre in the Loire valley and for them it is inbred understanding that white Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc.

Moving south to Spain, red Rioja declares itself as Rioja on the label, not Tempranillo the grape range utilized, while in Italy most Tuscan reds have no information on the Sangiovese grape that is most broadly used in these wines. Given this mish-mash of info it is no wonder that several of us head for that bottle with the label announcing it is a Chardonnay Viognier from the Ironstone Vineyard of California.

It is clear then that the Europeans believe the most critical factor influencing a wines character is the soil, climate and culture of the location where the grape is grown and this is particularly critical to single-vineyard wines who make the most of capturing the essence of a particular location of land. So whereas a French winemaker will see his wine as reflecting the character of a particular region, a New World winemaker mad about grape varieties will take into account that soil is just the developing medium in which the fruit grows, and that the grape range and challenging operate in the winery are what really counts. Today these two opposing approaches to wine labelling are moving closer together with New Globe producers emphasising their regionality and its characteristics, whilst European, even the parochial French winemakers possibly prompted by the wholesalers and the supermarkets are labelling their wines a lot more obviously. rent bottle labeler