How to Read A Wine Label

Published on Friday, January 16, 2009, by Roxanne Webber / Edit Post

The Wall Street Journal has written a great guide to what you can (and can’t) learn from a wine label when you have nothing else to go on.

It’s full of handy (and surprisingly amusing) advice, from sticking to wines with an alcohol content of 14 percent and under, to interpreting animal labels: “When it comes to less-expensive wines, we’d avoid wines where the cute animal seems to be the main point of the wine.” Another useful detail to look for? A phone number. “We have found that this is a sign of a highly personal winery … it’s amazing how often the winemaker or winery owner answers the phone.”

The whole list is well worth a read, and I think it may find a place on the side of my fridge—but what the WSJ should really do is make the story into a printable pdf pocket guide.

Thanks to YumSugar for bringing this article to my attention.

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POST A COMMENT |2 Comments

COMMENT

  • Nice piece. As lovely as that was, though, here's what I wish was on the BACK of every bottle:
    - Serve at this temperature.
    - This wine goes with this food.
    - Stand upright for this long before opening.
    - Decant for this long.

    Or at least the first two. Yes, I can do these things myself, but since they should know the wine better than I their suggestions would be valuable.

  • The WSJ does a great job of breaking it down - we have a similar discussion in our class called WINE CAMP - Introduction to wine at www.learnaboutwine.com.

    I take great joy in bringing awareness to the world about wine. Making sense of wine labels, wine laws, tasting method, wine history, wine folklore and fun facts.

    Congratulations to the WSJ on a timely story that resonates with readers...+READ

    The WSJ does a great job of breaking it down - we have a similar discussion in our class called WINE CAMP - Introduction to wine at www.learnaboutwine.com.

    I take great joy in bringing awareness to the world about wine. Making sense of wine labels, wine laws, tasting method, wine history, wine folklore and fun facts.

    Congratulations to the WSJ on a timely story that resonates with readers because it is so nicely written.-COLLAPSE