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Learn To Read Wine labels Like A Pro

Varietal versus Appellation Labeling

BY PAUL GREGUTT

Learning how to read a wine label like a pro takes practice. But this at-a-glance guide will help you decipher simple and uuuuh-inducing labels in no time.

Let's start with Europe.Throughout Europe, wines are classified by vineyard, village and/or region in which they are made. This appellation system is based on precisely defined wine regions, some as small as a single vineyard.

Outside of Europe, grape (varietal) names have become the primary method of labeling wines. The introduction of varietal wines in California in the decades following Prohibition was a great leap forward because it provided consumers with specific information about the grape or grapes in each bottle of wine. ACalifornia “Hearty Burgundy” can be made from anything, including Concord grapes, but a wine labeled “Pinot Noir” or “Chardonnay” must be made up of at least 75 percent of the named grape. The rest of the blend can be anything the winemaker chooses.

Learn everything you need to know Pinot Noir >>>

Today, California-style varietal labeling has become so popular that many European wines are using it as well. Most of the every day wines you see on retail shelves are varietal wines. So it is helpful to learn to identify the generally accepted baseline flavors and aromas of each of the principal grapes. When you read that a wine is “varietally true” it means that it shows the scents and flavors associated with the named grape.

We define the 12 top common wine terms >>>

 

Learn how to decipher Left Bank Bordeaux wine labels like a pro >>>

 

Of course, the same grape grown in different places will reveal different sides of its personality, and winemakers may enhance the natural grape flavors with special yeasts and by storing them in barrels. But each of the world’s major, important grapes has its own distinctive varietal characteristics.

Speaking of varietal characteristics, don't miss our Red Wine Basics guide, which breaks down the flavor profiles of the most common red varieties, while our White Wine Basics cheat sheet teaches you everything you need to know about the world's most common white grape varieties.

 

Learn how to match your favorite wines with food using this easy pairing guide >>>

Basics Rules Of Wine and Food Pairing

Wine & Food pairing is one of the most complex problems to solve for any wine beginner. But if you follow these basic wine and food pairing principles, you will be able to earn the respect of your guests ! Cheers!

1st principle : Never wish you hadn’t changed from the previous wine !

This principle is quite simple, always go from basic wines to more complex wines during a dinner. If you start with a great white wine, a Meursault Charme for instance, and continue with a simple Muscadet, you will end up regretting the first wine and your guests will appreciate the second course much less.

Pair your best wine with the main course. And match the rest of the dinner accordingly.

2nd principle :Respect your palate, from the lightest to the strongest.

• Start with a sparkling wine, to tickle the palate.
• Then a white wine will be perfect to follow
• After that the major red wine.
• Finish the meal with a sweet wine.

Change this rule, and already you are taking the risk of getting lost. Sweetness will be heavy on your palate, preventing you from fully enjoying the next wines. Start with the highest acidity and finish with sweetness.

One exception: If the white wine is full bodied, i.e. heavier than the red wine following (Like a “vin jaune” from Jura – A Trousseau for instance), in that case you should serve the white wine after the red wine.

3rd Principle : Great wines are self-sufficient

Here you go, with your famous red wine, complex, subtle. You don’t know how to perfectly pair it ? If you are damn sure it is a great wine, do not hesitate to drink it alone. After all it is the big moment of the meal and you do not want to risk an improper match.

Some common mistakes

1. The first mistake and the most catastrophic one: Starting with a sweet wine for the apero or with the first course. Please: no Sauternes with Foie gras at Christmas. The food & wine pairing is obviously great, but if you start with a powerful and sweet Sauternes, then all the next wines will probably taste light and inexpressive: You will have killed your palate and your “appetite”. If it is dificult for you to choose proper wines, you can try with Wiine.me wine subscription, as sommeliers pick out the wines for you and all you have to do is match them appropriately. In this way, you will also learn how to choose and pair wines.

2. The second mistake is to serve Champagne with dessert. The bubbles provide freshness and acidity. This is actually what you are looking for… at the beginning of the meal or as an aperitive. This will tickle your buds so you can enjoy the rest of the menu. After the main red wine, don’t go back to acidity.

Final Rules

• Never forget wine should enhance your meal, a touch to highlight the magic of the cook.
• Stop focusing on ideas and principles, trust your intuition and take risks !
• And remember Wine is pleasure…

From: Wiine.Me Startup