What does everything mean on
a wine label?
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WINERY NAME / TRADE MARK / BUSINESS NAME
(Optional) (Min 1.5mm)
DESIGNATION “Wine” or Grape Varietal Name
GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION
(Optional)
(i.e.
Region of Grape Origin)
VINTAGE
(Optional)
(i.e.
Year Grapes Harvested)
VOLUME
(Mandatory)
ALCOHOL CONTENT
(Mandatory)
STANDARD DRINKS
(Mandatory)
ADDITIVES
(Mandatory if applicable – 220 = sulphur dioxide)
BUSINESS NAME, ADDRESS
(not postal) (Mandatory)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN
(Mandatory |
ILNAM Estate
“Carool” Cabernet
Sauvignon
Carool
2002
750ml
13 %
7.7
Preservative 220
ILNAM Estate
750 Carool Road,
Carool, NSW, 2486
Australia
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Name:
This is the branding of the
wine and is represented by the winery name, trademark or logo or combination. Our
winery is ILNAM Estate.
Type:
The name of the grape variety
or varieties used to make the wine. Wines that are blends of more than one
variety are usually named on the label. Legally if there is 15% or of a
particular variety in a wine it should be named on the label with the varieties represented from the
most prominent to the least prominent. A Shiraz / Cabernet Sauvignon is
dominated by Shiraz and the Cabernet component is the lesser of the two. Other
common varieties you will find are Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot,
Botrytis Semillon.
A wine labelled Shiraz is it
all Shiraz? Well you are not able to tell as the labelling laws allow for up
to 15% of another variety to be able to be used in the wine without having to
state this on the label. In the past the humble sultana was one of the most
prominent white grapes used to make white wines but have you ever seen this
variety given any credit on the label?
Geographical Indication:
Carool is a geographical
position and when used with the wine name, “Carool” Shiraz, should contain no
less than 85% of fruit grown at Carool. ILNAM Estate's Carool Shiraz is 100%
grown and produced in the ILNAM Estate winery at Carool.
Vintage:
Vintage is the year the
grapes are harvested. 2002 means that the grapes were harvested in 2002 and
that those grapes were then fermented into wine. Wines without a vintage year
are sometimes labelled as a non-vintage. Non-vintage wines are generally
blends of two or more wines from different years. Non-vintage is a common term
on some sparkling wine labels.
Volume:
How much wine is in the
bottle? Usually there is 750mL in a standard bottle of wine.
Alcohol:
This is expressed as the % of
alcohol per volume. 13% means that 13% of the volume of wine is alcohol.
Standard Drinks:
This is related to the volume
of alcohol and we need to know this so that we have and idea of the amount of
alcohol that we are consuming and not just so that we know whether we will be
over the limit but rather for health reasons. A standard drink is equivalent
to 10grams of pure alcohol. Please remember that there are differences in the
amount of alcohol that a man and a woman can consume.
Additives:
This is an important part of
the label and changes to laws will now see more disclosures on the labels.
Many people suffer allergies and the additives in wines can give people
allergic reactions. Common additives that are not on labels at the present are
fish gut, egg whites, clay and others. Common additives that are usually on
labels are preservative 220 which is sulphur dioxide and antioxidant 300 which
is ascorbic acid.
Business name and address:
This should be the maker of
the wine, such as ILNAM Estate 750 Carool Road, Carool, NSW, 2486, and is
there in case you need to contact them regarding the product.
Country:
Should always be Australia
after all does anyone produce wines of better quality?
As a final note I am always
amused at the wine poetry on the back labels of bottles not for the way the
poetry is constructed as I am also a wine poet but for the fact the wines
continually evolve. By the time you consume the wine it is most certainly
going to be different to the wine that was bottled so the description is
somewhat useless from an appreciative point but is usually fun to read.
Taste
award winning local wines today at ILNAM Estate
ILNAM Estate is
a unique tourist attraction as we are the only winery on
the Tweed. ILNAM Estate Winery is located just 20 minutes from the Gold Coast
Airport, 40 minutes from Surfers Paradise and only 1 hour 20 minutes from
Brisbane.
ILNAM ESTATE WINERY- 750 Carool Road,
Carool NSW- Ph (07) 5590 7703
