Label decoder

EU

PDO EU origin

Protected Designation of Origin — tighter, smaller, place-specific rules. The higher-quality EU origin tier.France AOC, Italy DOC/DOCG, Spain DO/DOCa, Germany Qualitäts-/Prädikatswein are all PDOs.

PGI EU origin

Protected Geographical Indication — a broader area with looser rules.France Vin de Pays/IGP, Italy IGT, Spain Vino de la Tierra, Germany Landwein.

France

AOC / AOP classification

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée/Protégée — France's top origin tier; equivalent to PDO.

Vin de Pays / IGP classification

Broader regional wine; equivalent to PGI.

Premier Cru quality

A ranked single vineyard (esp. Burgundy), one tier below Grand Cru.

Grand Cru quality

The top vineyard classification in Burgundy and Alsace; also exists in Chablis.In Bordeaux the comparable top term is Grand Cru Classé.

Bordeaux Supérieur quality

Bordeaux wine made to slightly stricter rules (e.g. riper grapes, more ageing) than basic Bordeaux.

Cru Bourgeois quality

A Médoc quality tier below the classed growths.

Grand Cru Classé quality

A classed-growth estate in Bordeaux's quality rankings.

Italy

DOCG classification

Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita — Italy's top PDO tier.

DOC classification

Denominazione di Origine Controllata — a PDO tier below DOCG.

IGT classification

Indicazione Geografica Tipica — equivalent to PGI.

Classico quality

Wine from the historic heartland of a DOC/DOCG (e.g. Chianti Classico, Soave Classico).

Riserva ageing

Extra ageing before release, set by each appellation's rules.

Amarone quality

Dry, powerful Valpolicella made from dried (passito) Corvina grapes.

Recioto quality

Sweet wine made from dried grapes (e.g. Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave).

Spain

DOCa / DOQ classification

Denominación de Origen Calificada — Spain's top PDO tier (e.g. Rioja, Priorat).

DO classification

Denominación de Origen — a PDO tier below DOCa.

Vino de la Tierra classification

Regional wine; equivalent to PGI.

Joven ageing

'Young' wine, released with little or no oak ageing.

Crianza ageing

Aged a moderate time in oak and bottle before release; less than Reserva.

Reserva ageing

Longer oak + bottle ageing than Crianza.

Gran Reserva ageing

The longest ageing before release — only made in the best vintages.

Germany

Qualitätswein classification

Quality wine from one of the 13 regions; equivalent to PDO.

Prädikatswein classification

Top PDO category, graded by grape ripeness at harvest (the Prädikat ladder).

Landwein classification

Regional wine; equivalent to PGI.

Kabinett ripeness

Lightest Prädikat, from normally ripe grapes.

Spätlese ripeness

'Late harvest' — riper grapes, more concentration.

Auslese ripeness

'Select harvest' — riper still, often with some botrytis.

Beerenauslese (BA) ripeness

Individually selected over-ripe / botrytised berries; sweet.

Trockenbeerenauslese (TBA) ripeness

Shrivelled botrytis berries — lusciously sweet, the top of the ripeness ladder.

Eiswein ripeness

Icewine — grapes frozen on the vine, pressed while frozen; sweet and high-acid.

Trocken sweetness

Dry.

Halbtrocken sweetness

Off-dry (half-dry).

Sparkling

Traditional Method sparkling

Second fermentation in the bottle — fine, persistent bubbles and bready (autolytic) complexity. Used for Champagne and Cava.

Tank Method (Charmat) sparkling

Second fermentation in a pressurised tank — keeps fresh primary fruit. Used for Prosecco and Asti.

Méthode Cap Classique sparkling

South Africa's name for the traditional method.

Brut sweetness

Dry sparkling wine.

Demi-Sec sweetness

Medium-sweet sparkling wine.

Vintage / Non-Vintage (NV) sparkling

Vintage = single year; NV = a blend of years for a consistent house style.

Fortified

Fino fortified

Pale, dry Sherry aged under a veil of flor yeast — fresh and saline.

Amontillado fortified

Sherry aged first under flor then oxidatively — amber, nutty, dry.

Oloroso fortified

Sherry aged oxidatively (no flor) — deep, nutty, full-bodied; dry.

Cream / PX fortified

Sweetened Sherry styles; PX (Pedro Ximénez) is intensely sweet and raisined.

Ruby / Reserve fortified

Youthful, fruity Port aged briefly to keep fresh red-fruit character.

Tawny fortified

Port aged long in cask (oxidative) — dried-fruit, nutty, brown-tinged.

Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) fortified

Port from a single year aged ~4–6 years in cask before bottling.

Vintage Port fortified

Port from a single declared year, bottled young to age for decades.

Vineyard

Old Vine / Vieilles Vignes vineyard

Wine from old vines, which give lower yields and often more concentration.

Vintage vineyard

The year the grapes were grown and harvested.

Late Harvest / Vendanges Tardives vineyard

Grapes picked extra-ripe for a richer, often sweeter wine.

Noble Rot / Botrytis vineyard

Beneficial fungus that shrivels grapes and concentrates sugar — for sweet wines (Sauternes, Tokaji, TBA).

Icewine / Eiswein vineyard

Sweet wine from grapes frozen on the vine and pressed while frozen.