
How to Read French Wine Labels
Our most recent International Wine Club feature has 3 selected wines from Bordeaux, France! As you open your anticipated wine delivery box and unveil your wines, you realize the labels look a bit different...what type of wine is it? What does Grand Cru, Grand Vin de Bordeaux or Cru Artisan even mean?
We’re here to dig down and shed some light on how wine labels in France differ from those we see in the US.

In France, these areas are called AOC’s (Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée) and, if you live in France or are a French wine expert, these labels can give you a better idea of the quality and type of wine you are purchasing; perhaps more so than only stating the wine’s varietal. In the US, these regions are called AVA’s (American Viticulture Area) and while we have a sense of the terroir concept, we focus more on the individual varietals rather than the location of the winery and/or vineyard. Let’s give you an example.
As stated earlier, Bordeaux wines as a whole have different characteristics than wines from, say, Burgundy. However, each of these larger AOC’s have smaller, more distinct ones within them; differentiating our featured wines from Saint-Émillion, Graves and Médoc from one another. While they’re all from the larger Bordeaux region, these 3 smaller AOC’s will produce wines with different inherent qualities due to their specific terroir.
Are you still with us? Good.

So let’s get on with it! Enough beating around the bush and as we promised earlier, here is a dissection the 3 featured French wines and their labels:
2009 Saint-Émilion Grand Cru

This wine label from Château Tour des Combes right off the bat gives us significant clues as to the quality of the wine. You can see the winery name and the “type” of wine are the most prominent elements.
“Type” is in quotations because this is where we would usually see the varietal name on a US label. Directly under this is the official name of the designated appellation (AOC). The quality is clearly stated as “Grand Cru” - yep, it gets a seat at the top of the pyramid! It even states the individual vineyard from which the grapes were grown.
2016 Graves Grand Vin de Bordeaux

The label for our featured white wine from Château Pontet Reynaud gives us a little less information than the previous wine. But you can see a majority of the same elements are included, such as a specific region (Graves) within Bordeaux, already making it a superior wine. At the very top of the label you can also see it says “Grand Vin” which is showing you that this is the best wine from the winery.
2014 Médoc Cru Artisan

Last but certainly not least is another red wine feature from Le Fleuron de la Tessonnière. Looking at the label the very top line is, again, stating that this is the best wine from the winery. Farther down you can see it is from the Médoc appellation, bottled at the château, as well as gives us the specific vineyard location.
All great signs!
In the bottom left corner you’ll see it says Cru Artisan. This is a classification that was introduced to the Médoc region over 150 years ago and is now given to small wineries producing high quality, outstanding wines.
There you have it! Once you know what to look for, reading a French label is a breeze. Now that you're a pro, you can go show off your superior French wine selecting skills while actually knowing what to look for.
À Votre Santé!
(Cheers!)
A Short List of Useful French Terminology:
Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC): a designation guaranteeing the wine was produced in said region and have used the techniques and standards required for the region.
Blanc: white wine
Bouteille: wine bottle
Château: commonly used for wineries in Bordeaux
Cru: “growth” - typically referring to a higher quality vineyard or region
Cru Artisan: a classification for exceptionally small wineries producing high quality wines
Domaine: commonly used for wineries in Burgundy
Grand Cru: a classification for a region’s best vineyards
Millésime: the vintage - referring to the year of harvest
Mis en Bouteille: indicates where the wine was bottled
Premiere Cru: “first growth” classification for a winery’s second best wine
Proprietaire: winery or vineyard owner
Rouge: red wine
Terroir: literally translates to “earth” but it is also a concept that specific soils and regions produce unique characteristics that are reflected in the finished wines.
Vignoble: vineyard
Vin: wine
Intrigued by international wines? Discover the world's wine regions through our International Wine Club!