Using the right words: Wine enthusiasts may know how to ‘crack the code’

The jargon of wine labels can be both part of what brings customers in and keeps them away. While confusing language doesn’t do any favors for winemakers, adding the proper industry language can be part of the whole experience of buying wine. When they know exactly what they want their labels to say, companies can also use a professional level food and beverage label printer to tailor each label exactly right.

Business Insider recently spoke to The Sommelier Company’s owner, Jörn Kleinhans. He lamented the challenge of deciphering wine labels, especially for most Americans, and gave several examples of specific words that often appear on different kinds of wines, many of them not in English.

For example, he said, a California “Meritage” cabernet sauvignon will have similar qualities to a Bordeaux, and “Trocken” indicates a dry German Riesling. Kleinhans also described the meaning of “riserva” when it appears on an Italian Barolo wine, saying it denotes extra cellar aging time.

“This term indicates the winery has full confidence this wine has high potential and shows their best quality,” he said. “Since the term is regulated in Italy, a riserva is always better than a non-riserva and is an important word to look for in Italian wines.”

Using these terms correctly is also crucial to maintaining customer trust. Writing for the Ottawa Citizen, Rod Phillips recently mentioned the U.S. rule which only requires wine labels to reflect 75 percent of the bottle’s contents. If buyers feel as if a label has misled them, it could create a bad association with your brand.

Instead, use clear, accurate labels to maintain a strong brand identity. The Primera LX900 Color Label Printer is one great option for this purpose. Read about it on our U.S. site here or our Canadian site here.