How do you make sense of a wine label

A.� Wine labels give you information about a wine's origin, its alcoholic degree, its vintage (assuming it is the product of a single year rather than a blend of harvests), the name of the producer and, in the New World (South America and Australia), the grape variety or varieties from which it is made.

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Q.� What does it tell you about the quality

A.� European countries have established a nominal hierarchy for their wines, but this is a guide, not a guarantee. Experts say there are plenty of vins de pays that taste better than their supposedly superior appellation controlee wines, just as in Italy there are vini da tavola (table wines) that out-sell and out-perform wines from denominazione di origine controlata areas.

The most important thing to look for on a label is the producer's name, especially in an area like Burgundy where dozens of growers may grow vines in the same vineyard. For instance, the 50 hectares of the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru are divided between 80 owners).

The second most important thing on a label is the grape variety, or varieties, from which the wine was made. Many European appellation areas do not allow these to be listed on the front label, though they are increasingly mentioned on the back label.

New World countries, on the other hand, have built their success on 'varietalism'; Chardonnay is synonymous with California; Shiraz with Australia.

Grape varieties change from country to country, but still retain a similarity. So, Cabernet Sauvignon from Chile, will not be too dissimilar to the wine produced in France, Italy or California.

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Q.� What about the vintage

A.� As well as the alcoholic content - wines today vary from five per cent alcohol to as much as 20 per cent - the vintage is a farily crucial piece of information. For example, 1996 was a much better year in Bordeaux than 1997, although good producers did come up with highly-regarded wines in the latter vintage. In the New World, vintages are less important than in the Old, especially in warm, sunny areas such as the Barossa or central Valleys.

Very few vintages are good everywhere, although with the exception of the Douro Valley, where a vintage year was not produced, 1990 produced good to outstanding wines in most parts of the wine-making world. 1995 is also claimed as a consistent year.

As far as everyday wines go, the wine industry says the younger the better.

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By Katharine MacColl

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