Designation

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Designation is just a fancy way of identifying the wine. Seems simple right? Unfortunately, it's not as simple as it seems. Keep reading to find out why.

Wine Designations Explained

Wine makers are not required to put a grape varietal designation on the label, except under certain circumstances and conditions. If their wine does not meet these certain circumstances or conditions, no grape varietal designation is necessary.

However, a wine that is made in a certain style of another wine must identify the country of origin since wines labeled with distinctive names like Bordeaux, can only come from the Bordeaux region of France. Confused? Keep reading.

A Designation Example

In an effort to clear up some confusion, here are a few examples that will (hopefully) lead you to a better understanding of designations:

  • A wine produced in California, made in the style of traditional French Bordeaux but not actually made in the Bordeaux region of France must state on the label "California Bordeaux."
  • Only wines made in the Bordeaux region of France can simply state on the label "Bordeaux;" the same goes for other distinct regions like Champagne.
  • A grape varietal designation is only required on the label if the vintner decides to put it on the label. If said vintner does make such a decision, the wine must be made from at least 75% of the grape varietal designated on the bottle. Finally, an appellation of origin must also be included on the label.

No Interpretation Necessary

white wine blue background

LTK Wine: Designation is here so you can bypass deciphering all of the confusing wine laws. Wondering about a wine from the Western Cape, we've got one. Pontificating about Puglia, we've got a few of those too. See? No decoding wine labels necessary.

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