Wine 101: Labels

Ange from iYellow wine club stops in to the LCBO, for a little refresher on reading old world wine labels.

Angela Aiello: Hi, everybody welcome to Le Gourmet TV. I’m here with Laura product consultant for the LCBO and we’re going to teach you something very interesting. I’m sure everybody is dying to know how to read wine labels. I know that it can be difficult for some people but we’re here to demystify everything and help you learn more. So when you go to LCBO you know what you’re drinking. So now we’ve got two labels here. One’s a Canadian, an Eastdale product of Canada and what do we have over here? Laura Ruffolo: This is a Chateau Saint Germaine. It’s Bordeaux French wine. So with the old world bottles or European bottles on the label, you’ll always find the name of the winery and this case its Chateau Saint Germaine. You’ll always find the country of origin right here. It says product of France. You’ll find the vintage date here, it says 2005, and the level of alcohol, 13.5 % and you’ll also find the volume on this side which is 750 milliliters. And an important feature that you’ll find with the old world bottles is the region. So in this case here, it’s still Bordeaux which is more specific than just saying a bottle from France. It’s from a specific region in France and so that’s basically what you’ll find in an old world label. Angela Aiello: So if I was a regular consumer going at the LCBO how would I know what’s actually in this bottle of wine? Laura Ruffolo: You have to know a little bit about the different regions within the European wines. So for instance, this wine in Bordeaux, you’ll always get a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot and Cabernet Franc and a little bit of that two other grape varietals Petit Verdot and Malbec. So, depending on the region you’ll find different grape varietals and you do have a little bit of homework or you can ask one of us the product consultants here and— Angela Aiello: Just come to a seminar? Laura Ruffolo: Exactly, take some classes and to learn about the different grape varietals and the European wines. Angela Aiello: And that’s overall in the grand scheme, what happens in the European and the European labeling. Laura Ruffolo: Now a lot of the old world wines actually, they’re putting the grape varietals on the labels. You’ll find that more and more, just to make it easier for the consumers. Angela Aiello: So they’re transitioning their label system? Laura Ruffolo: That’s right, excellent. Angela Aiello: So now here we have new world labels which for most of us are probably the easiest labels to read in the LCBO. Laura Ruffolo: That’s right. So this is a Canadian wine. What you’ll find on the new world label is very similar to the old world. You’ll always find the name of the winery and in this case, it’s Eastdale. We also find the country of origin and in this case, it’s also Canada. Also you’ll find the region just like the European wine labels and that will be right over here. It will say the product of Niagara. This is the VQA Wine. So VQA stands for Vintners Quality Alliance and that’s for Canadian wines. It indicates the quality of the wine and the integrity of the wine and that the wine is made with 100% Ontario fruit. Along with that, you’ll also find the vintage which is the year that the grapes were harvested and you’ll also find the grape varietal, in this case, it’s an oak chardonnay. Angela Aiello: So it’s nice and easy for us to read, figure out the vintage and know what we’re drinking. So, there‘s a lot to know and the LCBO can help you learn those things when you come to their wine appreciation courses especially in the old world or the new world and we encourage you to go out and try a little bit and so take the time to learn about it because the more you know, the more you can enjoy. Laura Ruffolo: That’s right. Angela Aiello: Cheer! Thanks, Laura. Laura Ruffolo: Thank you. You’re welcome.