All Bar One Bar Bible - Update 04/2023

Wines of the World

Wine Labels demystified: Basics of reading a bottle

Understanding what is on a label can be tricky at times. You will often find that wines from the ‘New World’ are much easier to understand than those from the ‘Old World’.

In the ‘Old World’ many wines are named after the region that they come from and not the grape variety, some famous examples are:

Chablis : This is a light bodied white wine from France that is always made from 100% Chardonnay

Champagne : This is the world’s most famous sparkling wine that can be made from a blend of three grape varieties – Chardonnay (white), Pinot Noir (red) and Pinot Meunier (red). Sometimes it is only made from one of these varieties.

Sancerre : This is a region in the Loire valley in France and is light bodied, zesty and is made from the Sauvignon Blanc grape variety.

Chianti : This is a region in Tuscany in Italy. It is a medium bodied red wine that is great to partner food. The grape variety is called Sangiovese.

Rioja : One of Spain’s most famous wine producing region. Wines from Rioja are mostly red although they can be white and rosé too.

Beaujolais : This is a red wine from the Burgundy region in France. The wines from Beaujolais are light in body with very delicate tannins and fruity flavours. A good style of red wine for people to start on!