Hello my dear friends! We are back, and today we are going to talk about the wine label, which, together with the bottle, is the other key element in the presentation of a wine.
While we may still need to decode a wine label in order to understand all of the vital information it’s imparting, we have to admit that the label is a very convenient invention. It’s quite hard to imagine what we’d do if we were uninformed about the wine inside the bottle. Without the label, there’d be no way to identify the grapes used to make the wine, where the wine was made, who made it, or its vintage. It would also be difficult to determine which wine was worth more than another, making trade nearly impossible. Which is exactly why the ancient Egyptians invented the wine label. Let's go back to ancient times...
Wine began to be made during the Neolithic period among the tribes that inhabited the vicinity of the Caspian Sea. In those first societies there was a spectacular development of pottery, which allowed the manufacture of vessels both for the production of wine and for its storage and transport. From the beginning, the need arose to identify the product to recognize its owner, mark its origin and contrast its quality. The Egyptians kept wine in wineskins and clay jars in which they made marks to identify it. The potter craftsman marked the amphorae before firing them with stamps and dies. Some amphoras found in Egyptian burial mounds contain information about the wine, the aging process and even the name of the winegrower. During the New Empire, amphorae were identified with a stamp indicating the year of production, the area of production, the ownership and the quality of the wine contained therein. Phoenicians and Greeks began the expansion of wine throughout the Mediterranean. The containers then used to carry the stamps of some magistrate of the city that guaranteed their origin. Four types of marks were used: stamps printed before the amphora was fired, graffiti scratched on the container, painted symbols, or marks stamped on the amphora closure.
From 1550 to 1070 BC Egyptians dominated the wine trade. They first introduced standardized amphorae to make the transportation of the wine easier, creating seals of reeds and clay that protected the wine as it traveled across the world.
The Romans played an important role in the history of label since their amphorae also started to include references of the characteristics of the wine they contained. During the Middle Ages, wine continued to play an important role in merchandising products. The wooden barrels, invented by the Gauls, began to be used as a substitute for amphoras, improving resistance to the hustle and bustle of complicated transfers. The paper labels took a long time to appear. The first recognized wine labels as such date from the 17th century. They were handwritten on craft paper and hand-glued on each bottle. The first printed labels were black characters marked on a white paper, without any aesthetic or decorative aspiration.
At the end of the 19th century, the appearance of techniques such as lithography; the beginning of the production of bottles in series, and the rise of the printing industry favors the unstoppable development of labels that continues to this day. The labels always maintained their informative purpose but acquired other objectives closer to sales and marketing and, although their first informative nature is still fully valid today, other characteristics have been incorporated.
What are the functions of labels today? Well... Evocation, differentiation and information. A good label is born from the balance between the three main concepts it fulfills. Let's explain a bit. The label informs the consumer, talks about the content it presents, its characteristics and virtues. The visual part, the label design itself, sometimes provides much more information than any added text. Second: evocation. Many times, the customer associates the characteristics of the label with the wine. A modern, bold and daring label has connotations that we are unconsciously transmitting to the wine it presents. As a general rule, young wines are accompanied by a more aesthetically daring label (like the one to the left), while aging wines are associated with a more classic and calm on. There are those who argue that the presentation can influence the subsequent sensory perception of the wine.
Lastly, the label provides differentiation. Think, the number of brands of wine that a consumer finds at the points of sale is overwhelming! Only in DOC Rioja there are 5,000 brands. For this reason, it is easy to understand how important it is for a wine that its bottle and label are able to attract the customer's attention, and also ensure that the next time the customer wants to buy a bottle they remember it with clarity.
Things you should look for on the label...
Pay attention to the brand. Sometimes this name coincides with the winery's nomenclature. Others, the wine brand seeks to reflect part of its history and personality. In all cases, it is a fundamental part of the wine that expresses in a single or several words the essence and what the product wants to convey. Mind the denomination of origin (D.O.) which indicates the origin of the wine and/or the council that regulates it. Alcohol content is required by law but bear in mind that this data can also give us some clue about the body of the wine. If you are looking for a light and easy-to-drink wine, make sure that the degree of alcohol does not exceed 13%. Year of harvest or vintage is also very important since it could give information about its quality.
The back label, on the back of the wine provides information about the wine production method and pairings, its description and/or history, as well as details about the grape variety, stamps, sulfites content, certifications... Take some time to read it. It's hard not to choose the most attractive bottle on the shelf, but do get used to looking at the details instead and you'll find that you'll quickly start making informed, delicious choices.
Cheers!
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