Wine Labels

Aside from capturing the attention of your customers, the other purpose of your wine label is to provide vital information about your wine. The details will matter especially for wine connoisseurs who might care more about where the wine comes from and how it’s made more than a novice wine drinker, or for anyone with relevant health concerns. On top of that, there are also label requirements that you need to follow. If you don’t want to miss out on anything, here are some of the most important things that you need to include on your wine label:

Brand Names
You can usually find two brand names on most wine bottles. One is the name of the company or winery that produced the wine, which is often located at the top or bottom of the wine label. The other is the secondary name of the wine, which helps in branding different wines from the same winery.

Vintage
Vintage is the term used to indicate the year when the grapes were harvested. It is also a good way to know the quality of the wine. The general rule of thumb is that the more vintage the wine is, the better the quality.

Wine Type
The type of wine in the bottle is required to be shown in the wine label. You need to indicate if it’s a Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, or a Chardonnay among many others. Wines that derive less than 75% of their volume from the specified grape can only use a generic name like “red wine”.

Appellation or Region
The region where the wine is made must also be included in your wine label. However, it is a little more complicated than just saying the geographic location of the winery. If you used a state or county in your wine label, it is federal law that at least 75% of the grapes used in producing your wine must come from this location. For AVAs or American Viticultural Areas like Napa Valley, at least 85% of the grapes must come from the area. Other states also have their own regional laws so be sure to look them up before creating your wine labels.

Producer & Bottler
If the wine is made from another location that is different from the winery or vineyard, both the name and address must be printed on the label.

Alcohol Content
Similar with other alcoholic beverages, the percentage of alcohol by volume (ABV) is required on the label.

Net Contents
The amount of wine in the bottle must also be present on the label. Most of the time, the number is expressed in milliliters or liters.

Sulfite Warning
If the wine has more than 10 parts per million of sulfur dioxide, the wine label must have a “Contains Sulfites” warning.