A guest comes aboard with a case from their own cellar and hands you a bottle. "Will this work with the sea bass tonight?" There is no tasting note, no back label worth reading, and no time to open it speculatively. Everything you need is on the front label - if you know how to read it.
Two ways to name a wine
- By grape variety - the label says Chardonnay, Merlot, Malbec. Common in the Americas, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and increasingly everywhere. Easy: the grape tells you the style.
- By place - the label says Chablis, Sancerre, Rioja, Chianti. Common in Europe. The place implies the grape, because local law defines which varieties may be used. Chablis is Chardonnay. Sancerre is Sauvignon Blanc. Chianti is mostly Sangiovese.
Neither is better. Place-named wines simply assume you already know the local rules - which is why learning a dozen classic pairings of place and grape is worth more than memorising any single producer.
What the label tells you
| On the label | What it gives you |
|---|---|
| Producer / brand | Who made it; the house style |
| Region or appellation | Where it is from, and often the grape and rules |
| Vintage | Year the grapes were picked; no year means a blend of years |
| Grape variety | Style, directly - if it is stated |
| Alcohol (% abv) | A strong hint at body and ripeness |
| Sweetness term | Dry through to sweet |
| Volume, allergens, bottler | Legal information; the sulfites warning is routine |
Quality and origin terms
Across Europe, protected origin schemes work on one principle: the tighter the geographical area named, the stricter the rules and usually the more specific the style. France uses AOC/AOP, Italy DOC and DOCG, Spain DO and DOCa, and the EU-wide terms are PDO/AOP and PGI/IGP. Rules vary in detail from place to place, so quote the principle to a guest, not a rule you are unsure of.
Sweetness words to know
| Term | Where you see it | Means |
|---|---|---|
| Brut | Sparkling | Dry - the standard style |
| Extra Dry | Sparkling | Slightly sweeter than Brut, despite the name |
| Sec / Demi-Sec | Sparkling & still | Sec is off-dry to medium; Demi-Sec is sweeter |
| Trocken / Halbtrocken | Germany | Dry / off-dry |
| Dolce / Doux | Italy / France | Sweet |
The Brut / Extra Dry trap catches people constantly. Brut is the drier of the two.
Onboard Notes
- Answer the guest with the grape and the style, not the appellation law: "It is Sauvignon Blanc - dry, crisp, citrus. Lovely with the bass."
- Photograph the labels of everything the guests bring aboard. It is the fastest way to learn their taste and to restock correctly.
- If a label defeats you, say so and check. Confident invention is the only unforgivable service error.