How to REALLY buy Wine by the Label

A few people I've met in the past couple of weeks have asked me to write a post about how to buy wine by the label. They're already making their choices based on their attraction to label art, and there's more very basic info that you can find on the label to hint at what's inside. To heck with snobby connoisseurs, I'll give you some down to earth tips that are actually helpful.

In an ideal world there would be such knowledgeable, approachable, and helpful staff at our local stores that we'd all have established friendly relationships with them. They'd understand our budgets and tastes, and we'd rely (at least partly) on their recommendations. At the very least they'd have some displays that would be helpful, or a well-written newsletter rather than cards with scores on them. Let's face it, have you ever seen a wine score under 80 something? I think there's a limit to how helpful those scores can be - can you imagine Safeway giving strawberries a 92, and raspberries an 88? Would you base your purchase on that? How about the art gallery giving Picasso a 98 and Monet a 90? Laughable. Alas, many of us are on our own when it comes to choosing a new wine, and sometimes you have to go by the label.

There are a number of things to look for on the label: country of origin, alcohol content, grape varietal, art, vintage, region, etc. Rather than get too deeply into vintage and region, which can get complex quickly, let's just talk about some very general and fairly effortless tips for looking at the first four - country, alcohol, grape and art/name.

The country can give you a few hints about what the wine might be like. The first thing to look for is whether it's a hot or cool country. You'd expect fruit to be really ripe when it comes from somewhere hot, right? Kind of like how we get really juicy, flavourful fruit from the hot Okanagan in the summer. You can generally expect that grapes grown in a hot country, like Australia, will produce a wine with lots of big fruit flavours. I'm trying to keep this simple, so this is just a very general tip, as there are cooler regions of Australia, too (like the Yarra Valley). Still, you've probably tasted an Australian Shiraz with lots of fruit. It's not unusual to find some tropical flavours in white wines from hot countries, after all you'd expect to find tropical fruit growing there. By contrast, cooler regions can produce reds like Pinot Noir that are often minerally and earthy, and whites like Sauvignon Blanc that can have refreshing flavours like gooseberry, and aromas of freshly cut grass.

Alcohol content is another piece of information you can get from the label that hints at what's inside. Ripe fruit is sweet, and in the winemaking process sugar converts alcohol, so the more sugar in the fruit, the more alcohol in the wine. 14% or 15% is going to suggest you have a fuller bodied wine with lots of fruit. 11% or 12% generally means the fruit wasn't as sweet, which is often a good thing. If you're looking for a crisp white to serve on a hot day, definitely look for one with slightly lower alcohol; it'll probably have some refreshing acidity to it. This is an especially handy trick when you're looking at wines like Rieslings which can be a little sweet. If you want acidity that will cut through the sweetness, try one with a lower alcohol percentage, and you're likely to have a balance you'll enjoy. Try Cave Spring Off Dry Riesling with 12% alcohol for $19 to taste this balance in action http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/products/234583?region=5.

Most people have a style of wine they are in the mood for when they're shopping, so have a look at the grape varietal, and get to know your favourites. Here's a quick and very basic reference guide to some popular varietals: http://www.portaliswines.com/varietals.php. Have a look at some you already know you like, and try to find a few others with some similar characteristics - or different ones - so you can start to branch out. For example, if you like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, odds are you'll like Malbec. Most New World wines (those from outside Europe) show the varietal on the front of the label, and a lot of blends will list them on the back, usually with the percentage of each one. If the front of the label just says "white wine", don't be put off; it doesn't mean that it's inferior quality, just that you have to turn it around to see the details. Having some general knowledge of different varietals can help you guess what your blend will taste like, because you'll know which grapes add which characteristics. French wines present a real exception when it comes to label reading, because their old laws usually don't allow them to put the grape on the label, just the region. Certain regions are well known for producing certain grapes, so unless you know what's produced where it can be tough to glean this detail from the label.

I recently bought Black Hills' Nota Bene that's labeled as simply "red wine". On the back the percentages of 43% Cabernet Sauvignon, 37% Merlot and 20% Cabernet Franc are listed, so I can guess that I have a medium-full bodied wine with cassis and some stronger tannins from the Cab Sauv, plum and maybe some softer tannins from the Merlot, and lighter red fruit and spice from the Cab Franc. On the front I see 14.6% alcohol, so I know the fruit was really ripe and will come through in the flavours of the wine. It's from Oliver, which I know is a particularly hot area of BC, so all my information is coming together and making sense. I can't wait to open it!

Finally, a word on label art. It perfectly ok to buy wine based on the label art, especially if you're putting a little extra thought into it. Bonny Doon has some gorgeous labels on their consistently fantastic wines, and you can tell they put a lot of effort into designing a label that expresses what's inside the bottle... all while having way too much fun. Their labels have so much personality, that you get a good gut feel about what must be inside. I always think they must have enjoyed a case of their own product before becoming so creative. Please, please, please visit their web site www.bonneydoonvineyard.com . It's an experience, I promise you. It's the thought that counts when you're buying for others, and it's fine to buy wine with a label or name that particularly suits a friend. Austin's Six Foot Six Pinot Noir is the perfect gift for a very tall friend http://www.bcliquorstores.com/en/products/299917?region=5 , and Bonny Doon's Big House Red is just right for watching reruns of Prison Break - at the very least you'll get a smile and appreciation for your extra effort. This is entirely different from the magpie strategy of picking a wine simply because the label is shiny and bright, which you won't have to resort to now that you have these tips (unless you just plain want to).

So there you have it - four tips for buying by the label based on country, alcohol, varietal and art.
- Is it from a cool or hot country or region?
- Higher alcohol equals big ripe fruit, and lower alcohol equals refreshing or balanced acidity.
- What can the grapes in a blend tell you about what it might taste like? Try some new varietals you think you might like.
- Finally, is there something special about the label art or name that your guests will appreciate?
Wine can be a ridiculously complex product, and I know that takes the fun out of it for some people, so these are really pared down generalities to get you started. I hope they've been helpful, and I look forward to receiving your comments on what you've tried.