Subscribe to Print Edition | Thu., October 16, 2008 Tishrei 17, 5769 | | Israel Time: 21:56 (EST+7) web haaretz.com   Back to Homepage Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate Easy Start Travel Week's End Anglo File

A bit of info, a bottle of wine and thou By Daniel Rogov Tags: Israel News, wine Most people think that the labels on wine bottles have been around forever. But the truth is that they only came into use in the 1860s, once there was glue strong enough to attach them to glass. Before that, if they had any telltale marks at all, most wine bottles were identified either by an etching on the glass or by a bit of handwritten information, painted on in delicate white script. Today labels offer a great deal of information, yet many people find them daunting because of their symbols, as well as the foreign words and technical details they include. However, there is no need to be frightened: Learning to decode labels is not difficult once one has mastered some basic information. 1. The name of the winery. The name of the winery appears on every one of its bottles. The more one gets to know wines, the more one learns about the wineries - which to rely on and which to avoid. When encountering previously unfamilar ones, it's best and relatively easy to check what various connoisseurs have said about them. Advertisement 2. The brand name or name of the series. Many wineries produce more than one series of wine. More often than not, the wines in those series range from good to truly superb. 3. The varieties of grapes in the wine. Most wines from North and South America, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and Germany are identified on their labels by the variety or varieties of grapes used (Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, etc.). In most cases, as long as 85 percent of the grapes used in producing any given wine come from a single variety, only that one needs to be mentioned. In cases where the blends are more complex, the label might read, for example, Pinotage-Shiraz. It is always the grape that dominates that is named first. Such wines will also indicate the area from which the grapes came and the country of origin. 4. Origins of grapes. Most wines from France (with the notable exception of Alsace), Italy and Spain are identified not by the grapes used, but by the name of the region in which they originated. Indications such as Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Chablis or Chianti, for example, refer to broad regions; labels bearing such names will also often include the name of a specific village or even a specific vineyard within the region in question. Those wine labels will also note the address of the producers. 5. Liquid volume. The volume of wine in the bottle must also appear on the label, and is generally measured in milliliters (ml). Although bottles come in larger and smaller sizes, standard ones the world over contain 750 ml. 6. Alcohol content. Wine labels must show the percentage of alcohol they contain, which is generally noted by the notation "% alc/vol." An increasing number of labels show how many "standard drinks" are in the bottle. A standard drink is defined as the amount of a beverage containing 10 grams of ethanol alcohol. 7. Vintage information. Many bottles carry a date of vintage, which refers to the year the grapes were harvested. If that information is not on the label itself, it will appear on a band attached to the neck of the bottle. Labels bearing the notation "n.v." (nonvintage) refer to wines made from grapes of different years that have been blended together. In nonsparkling wines, this generally indicates low quality, but with Champagnes, nonvintage wines can be every bit as superb as those from specific vintage years. 8. Production methods. Some labels will carry special designations referring to production techniques. Those may include terms such as single vineyard, old vines (vieilles vignes in French), late harvest, barrel fermented or unfiltered - any of which may make the wine more attractive depending on the consumer's personal preferences. The use of other terms, such as reserve, private reserve and special selection is not regulated. Some wineries use those terms honestly to indicate what they consider to be the best of their output. Others use such terms simply as marketing ploys. 9. Kosher status. If a wine is kosher, there will always be a notation to this effect on the label. Further details about kashrut (e.g., whether the wine is mevushal - boiled - or if it is kosher for Passover and what rabbinical authority authorized it) are found on the label on the back of the bottle. 10. Other labels. Some wines will display extra labels in the form of round "medals" to show the awards they have won in various competitions. These claims must be genuine, but buyers should still be aware that not all such competitions have any validity, and although those medals, which are sometimes little more than a marketing ploy, may help to sell wines, they do not often say very much about the quality of the contents of the bottle. 11. Descriptions of the wine. On the label appearing on the back of the bottle one can often fine the winemaker's description of the wine. Whether this information was written by the winemaker or the marketing department is hard to say, because it is quite apparent that no matter what the description, no winery is going to write anything negative about their own products. 12. Warnings, additives. The label in the back will also often list the various additives that have been used in a wine, as well as a government-mandated warning about the dangers of consuming alcohol. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Israel policy Obama camp dismisses Jesse Jackson's remarks on ridding the U.S. of 'Zionist control.' Welcome to AqsaTube The Palestinian militant group Hamas launches its own version of YouTube.

Read & React IDF troops kill third Palestinian fire-bomber within 3-day period Responses: 120 New IAF system will pinpoint Iranian missile targets in Israel Responses: 51 Report: Israel ready to free all prisoners Hamas demands for Gilad Shalit Responses: 57 Is Israel's booming high-tech industry a branch of Mossad? Responses: 39 More Headlines 21:56 Police reach Caribbean island in bid to solve Israeli hostage crisis 19:41 Report: Israel ready to free all prisoners Hamas demands for Shalit 11:03 New IAF system will pinpoint Iranian missile targets in Israel 15:48 TASE closes with sharp losses as global markets plummet 08:51 Is Israel's booming high-tech industry a branch of the Mossad? 13:57 Jerusalem man suspected of raping girl in synagogue on Yom Kippur 21:47 Play the news / Will Israel strike Iran's nuclear sites? 20:05 Ex-Kadima frontrunner Mofaz urges Yishai to join Livni gov't 19:33 U.S. debate / Forget Obama and McCain - Joe the Plumber for president 15:41 Iran's army air force begins military exercise 13:38 IDF troops kill third Palestinian fire-bomber within 3-day period 12:28 Israeli Arab groups: Riots were bid to expel Acre's Arabs 15:09 VIDEO / McCain, Obama get tough and personal in final debate 10:35 Beer aficionados flock to Palestinian village of Taybeh for Oktoberfest Previous Editions Select Day 15 oct 14 oct 13 oct 12 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 06 oct 05 oct 03 oct 02 oct

Special Offers Advertisement Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved