Labeling Wine Bottles | Everything you need to know to drive sales

The vignette and the brand name of the product may be included optionally, but if you choose to place them, they should not induce overconsumption of the product.

The minimum height of the characters on the label should be at least 1.6 mm to allow for ease of readability.

The names of the grape varieties are not accepted as a common name, but adjectives such as red wine or vin rouge are.

The minimum height of the characters on the label should be at least 1.6 mm to allow for ease of readability.

It is necessary to remember that, to declare a wine as Canadian, not only must it be produced in Canada, but it cannot be made from imported grapes or juices.

The minimum height of the characters on the label should be at least 1.6 mm to allow for ease of readability.

Expresses the net volume of wine in a bottle. Officially, Canada follows the metric system. The minimum size of the characters for the net amount of wine in a bottle varies according to the size of the bottle. It is necessary to remember that volumes less than 1 litre must be expressed in mL, while volumes of one litre or more must be expressed in liters (L). Even though centiliters are a metric system measure, the Liquor Boards commonly reject a wine labelled as 75 cL. The wine needs to be labelled either 750 mL or 0.75 L. 

The minimum size for numeric characters on a 750 mL or 1.5 L bottle is 3.2 mm. On the other hand, the size of the mL or L characters must be at least 1.6 mm.

Expresses the amount of alcohol in a wine. The alcoholic strength must be expressed in a bilingual format. Regardless of what the CFIA requirements state, the Liquor Boards only accept either "XX% alc./vol." Or "Alcohol XX% by Volume/Alcool XX% par Volume".

The smallest character must have a minimum size of 1.6 mm.

It is only required in the case of wines that are made with at least one potentially allergenic ingredient. The most common allergen in wines is sulfites. Technically, if a wine contains less than 10 particles per million, the label is not required to state that the wine contains sulfites. However, to avoid complications, we recommend that suppliers include “Contains sulfites - Continent des sulfites” on the back label. In addition, if the wine may contain some allergenic fining agents, such as isinglass, albumin or casein, an allergen fining agent declaration must be affixed. The allergen statement must appear in a box on the label, and the font color must be black, while the background must be white.

The minimum height of the characters must be 1.1 mm.

Additional claims may be placed on the front label. These do not need to be bilingual, but you do need to make sure none of them are misleading. Any statement must not be misleading or imply irresponsible consumption of the product.

It is mandatory to enter the data of the manufacturer or the importer of the wine if it is not Canadian. If the importer information is included, it must be preceded by the phrase "Imported by:/ Importé par:". However, if the importer is from the United States, it must be preceded by the phrase "In the USA imported by".

The characters in this section must have a minimum size of 1.6 mm, and the name of the country must be in English or French.

Must appear on all units intended for consumer sale. The minimum font magnification should be 80%. On the other hand, human-readable characters should be located on the left (if the placement is vertical) or at the bottom of the code (if the placement is horizontal).

All units intended for sale must have a lot code. This can be numeric, alphabetic or alphanumeric, and must be easy to distinguish and read.The Lot Code is required in order to meet traceability requirements.

The label of a product manufactured using ecological practices must have the bilingual declaration "organic/biologique", together with the name of the body that has certified the product as ecological.

A lot code is required on all units of sale. This is due to the Safe Food for Canadians Regulations (SFCR), which came into effect in July 2020. 

It can be the name of the producer, winery or vineyard, although 'brand wines' (referred to by a name due to their commercial appeal) are becoming more and more common.

Although there are official categories ('table wine', 'dessert wine' and 'sparkling wine') these terms cannot appear on the wine label. To replace them, an American Viticultural Area (AVA) title or the wine's variety declaration is used.

• American Viticultural Area (AVA) indicates the specific geographic area where the grapes come from to make a wine. The United States has just over 200 officially designated appellations, known as American Viticultural Areas. These titles are granted taking into account the climatic and geographical characteristics of the wine-producing areas covered. For a wine to be awarded an AVA title, at least 85% of the grapes must have been grown within the boundaries of that AVA. On the other hand, for AVAs at the county and state levels, this minimum requirement drops to 75%.
• Finally, declaration of the grape varieties are mandatory in the United States. Wines labeled with the name of a grape variety must be made from at least 75% of the specified variety

The alcohol content is only required to be explicitly indicated in wines with an ABV greater than 14%. Wines with a lower percentage can be labeled with the exact alcohol content or the phrase 'Table Wine'.

The name and address of the bottler or producer are required, and must be preceded by the words 'Bottled By', or 'Produced and Bottled By' (only if the wine was bottled in the cellar) that made it.

Optionally, the statement 'Estate-bottled' can be added. This is reserved for wines whose elaboration process (from the cultivation of the grapes to the bottling of the wine) was carried out by the same winery and within the limits of a single AVA.

The volume of the bottle must be placed in the format of fluid ounces, liters or milliliters.

It is only required for wines containing more than 10 parts per million of sulfur dioxide.

Optionally, a wine can be labeled 'Organic' if it contains less than 100 parts per million of artificially added sulphites. On the other hand, wines with the phrase 'Made with organically grown grapes' may contain some sulfites.

A government health warning on the label is mandatory to market a wine in the United States.

Finally, and although it is not mandatory, the vintage of the wine is usually placed (at least 95% of the grapes must be from the same vintage)

It is mandatory to mention the category of the wine product, (wine, sparkling wine, new wine still in fermentation, etc.).

The alcoholic strength of a wine is expressed in units or half units of percentage and must be represented in the format "% vol".  The title appearing on the bottle may not be higher than 0.5% vol. or lower than the title determined by analysis. The size of the characters must be at least 5 mm in height if the graduation is greater than 100 cl, 3 mm in height if it has 20 centiliters of nominal volume per 100 cl and 2 mm in height if nominal volume is less than or equal to 20 cl.

If the wine has an appellation of origin, the name of the country of origin must appear on the label. In the case of wines without appellation of origin, the name of the country must be placed on the label.

The label must indicate the volume of wine contained in the bottle. For each category of wine, there is a range of usual volumes. Wines must be marketed in the following volumes: 125 mL, 200 mL, 375 mL, 750 mL and 1500 mL.

The name and address of the bottler of the wine must be included on the label, next to the words "bottler" or "bottled by...".

The lot number refers to a set of sales units of a food product produced, manufactured or packaged under virtually identical circumstances. It is composed of numerical characters and/or letters, generally preceded by the capital letter "L". It is used for traceability reasons.

If the wine contains potentially allergenic ingredients, the label must indicate "contains" (in any language of the European Union) followed by the following allergens:

Sulfites

Milk and eggs and their derivatives

Etc.

To indicate the vintage, it is necessary that at least 85% of the grapes used to produce the wine have been harvested during the year in question. On the other hand, if two or more grape varieties are named, the wine must come from 100% of these varieties, which must be indicated in descending order of the proportion used. In addition, grape varieties of wines without a Geographical Indication (GI) can currently be mentioned, subject to specific certification (art. 50 of Regulation (EU) No. 2019/33).

Presence of sugar content on the label is optional for non-sparkling or carbonated sparkling wines. These are the current names:

• Dry: less than 4 g/L
• Semi-dry: less than 12 g/L
• Semi-sweet: content between 12 g/L and 45 g/L
• Sweet: content greater than 45 g/L

Wines marketed within the European Union may refer to the production methods with which they were manufactured. These can refer to the type of fermentation of the wine or it's aging. Some examples may be "aged in oak barrels" or "hand harvest". On the other hand, if the wine was matured or aged for at least 6 months in a wooden barrel, terms such as “barrel fermented”, or “barrel aged” can be used.

If a producer makes a wine under the organic viticulture standards, then s/he can use the EU organic logo on a wine label.

The brand name under which a wine is identified and marketed is placed here.

The legal denomination of the product must comply with Article 17 of Law No. 14.878.

The alcoholic strength of a wine should be expressed as a percentage by volume. Also, it may vary from that of the Free Circulation Analysis by half a degree. The size of the font must be at least of 3 mm

The net content of a bottle of wine must be expressed in mL, cL or L. The size of the font must be at least of 3 mm

The country of origin of the wine should be entered here. In the case of wines produced in Argentina, one of the following phrases must be included: Produced in Argentina, Made in Argentina, Argentine Production, Argentine Industry or Product of Argentina.

The following data of the subdivider must be entered here: subdivider's registration number and commercial name or company name. In the case of bottling on behalf of third parties, the following data must be present: registration number of the bottler and data of the person for whom the bottling is carried out, preceded by the phrase 'Bottled for' or 'Packaged for'.

It is mandatory to place the Free Circulation Analysis number granted on the label. This number has a combination of numeric characters

It is only mandatory to place the sugar content when it is 6 mg or more per liter. In addition, it must be expressed as a percentage.

The color characteristics of the wine expressed on the label must coincide with the Free Circulation Analysis.

Here you must indicate the base wine component and the non-wine components, which must be expressed in percentage.

The label must include the logo 'Vino Argentino, Bebida Nacional', on wines that are produced in Argentina. This must be 12 mm x 12 mm in size, and if it is not placed on the label it can be included in other ways, for example in the form of a medal tied by a ribbon to the bottle.

“Drink in moderation” and “Forbidden for sale to persons under 18 years of age” must be present on the label. In addition, the claim "Contains the presence of sulfites" must be placed on the label (only if it has 10 particles per million or more) and a warning about the presence of allergens such as milk derivatives or eggs.

• Information about allergens must be placed in capital letters and bold, in a color that contrasts with the background of the label. In addition, the minimum height of the characters is 2 mm, except for packages with a visible area for labeling of 100 cm² (in this case, the minimum height is 1 mm). Another aspect to take into account is that it must be located in places that are easy to see.

Data such as the street where the fractionation company is located and the town and the province where it is located can be placed on the label. The size should not be more than 1.5 mm

The indication of origin (only in regional wines, and the size must not be greater than 3 mm), the Geographical Indication (GI) (it cannot exceed 3/4 of the size of the wine brand) and the Denomination of Controlled Origin can be placed on the label

To place the year of production on the label, at least 85% of the grapes used must come from the same vintage.

Here the phrase 'Single variety' can be placed (the wine must be made with at least 85% of grapes of the same variety) or indicate that the wine has been made with 2 or 3 grape varieties (85% of the grapes used in the wine must come from that blend)

The terms 'Reserva' and 'Gran Reserva'  may be used here.

• 'Reserva' can only be used when, at the time of making a wine, 135 kg of grapes have been used to make 100 liters of wine. In addition, red wines must be aged for a minimum of 24 months, and white wines must be aged for a minimum of 12 months. 
• On the other hand, 'Gran Reserva' can only be used when, in winemaking, 140 kg of grapes are used for every 100 liters of wine. In addition, red wines must be aged for a minimum of 24 months, and white and rosé wines must be aged for a minimum of 12 months.
• Finally, it can also be mentioned if the wine has been aged in oak barrels (the grapes must have been previously treated with wood)

The wine establishments that wish to place the legends "Gluten Free" and "Without T.A.C.C.”, and the mandatory symbol to identify that the product is gluten-free, must comply with the following precautions:

• Gluten content must not exceed 10 mg/L
• The establishment must have a Technical Manager

The Food Standards Code requires that labels include a name or an appropriate description of the food. There are no prescribed names, but the food must convey the true nature of the product.

• Wine products are considered foods that contain not less than 700 mL/L (70%) of wine. However, the term "wine product" may not be sufficient to convey the true nature of the product. For this reason, Australia advises that wine products to which water, coloring, flavoring, etc., have been added, be labeled as "wine-based beverage". On the other hand, exported wine products are not allowed to indicate a Geographical Indication (GI) (other than "Australia") on their labels.

Identification of a product lot is mandatory under the Food Standards Code. This identification is very useful for traceability in case of product withdrawal. In addition, if the product is not marked as part of a lot, the health authorities can withdraw from the market all the product that bears the same label. In Australia, there is no default format, but an alphanumeric code is often used. Lot identification should be posted in a visible place after bottling is complete.

As in Europe, in Australia it is mandatory to inform about the possible presence of potential allergens, such as egg or milk derivatives. According to the Food Standards Code, allergen information must be declared using the required name of the food in plain English.

The address of the winery may contain a registered Geographical Indication (GI) without the fruit coming from that Geographical Indication (GI), but the manner in which the address is displayed must not mislead as to the actual origin of the grapes.

The Food Standards Code requires that packaged alcoholic beverages containing more than 1.15% alcohol by volume display a pregnancy warning mark on the label. The requirements for the pregnancy warning mark on an individual unit are:

• All the alcohol bottles with less than 200 mL of capacity must have a pictogram warning, in black and red, at least with a size of 8 mm.
• All the alcohol bottles with a capacity between 200mL and 800mL must have a pictogram, in black and red, the words ‘Pregnancy Warning’, capitalized and with a red and bold Sans Serif font,  and also the statement ‘Alcohol can cause lifelong harm to your baby’ in black Sans Serif font and with a space of 3 mm surrounding the border. All the components must appear without a black border, on a white background. The pictogram must have a size of at least 6 mm diameter, every character of the signal words must have a size of at least 2.1 mm, and every character of the statement must have a size of at least 1.6 mm.
• All the alcohol bottles with a capacity of over 800mL have the same requirements that the bottles with a capacity between 200mL and 800mL, but with different size of font. The pictogram must have a size of at least 9 mm diameter, every character of the signal words must have a size of at least 2.8mm, and every character of the statement must have a size of at least 2.1mm.

Despite wines being exempt from the declaration of country of origin, Section 24 of the Country of Origin Food Labeling Information requires that if a wine is made from grapes grown in more than one country, the proportion of grapes used from each country must be made clear.

• In addition, if a wine is packaged from multiple origins, a statement such as "Wine bottled in Australia from X percent Australian produce and Y percent produced from [country B]" should be added to the label.
• For wines intended for export, it is advisable to separate the country of origin labeling from any Geographical Indication (GI) claims. Some phrases that should be avoided are "Wine from Western Australia" or "Wine from Margaret River, Australia". 
• In addition, it should be noted that, for export to many countries, the format of the "country" declaration is prescribed. 
• Currently, many producers choose to use the EU format, which requires the word "wine" combined with the country declaration (e.g. "Wine of Australia").

Wine in standard size containers (50 mL, 100 mL, 187 mL, 200 mL, 250 mL, 375 mL, 500 mL, 750 mL, 1 liter, 1.5 liters, 2 liters, 3 liters, or a larger quantity of whole liters), is exempt from the general requirement that measurement markings appear on the primary display panel. For that reason, Australian wines may indicate volume on any label.

• However, exporters should be aware of the "single field of view" concept, which applies in member countries of the World Wine Trade Group and in the European Union and the United Kingdom.
• The indication of quantity should be located near the product name or brand name. In addition, it must have a minimum distance of 2 mm from the edges of the container, as well as from any graphics or written copy. 
• Furthermore, the quantity must be expressed in metric units and in plain English. 
• Also,  it must be clearly visible to the consumer, and stamped or printed in a color that contrasts with the background.
• Finally, the print height varies according to the size of the bottle:

           _ In the case of bottles with a height of less than 120 mm, the minimum print height is of 2.0 mm

          _ In the case of bottles with a height from 120 mm to 230 mm, the minimum print height is of 2.5 mm

          _ In the case of bottles with a height from 230 mm to 360 mm, the minimum print height is of 3.3 mm

          _ In the case of bottles with a height of more than 360 mm, the minimum print height is of 4.8 mm

The best-before date for wine and wine products is not always mandatory. It only needs to be applied when a non-glass bottle is used. However, if qualities such as "young consumption" or "freshness" are highlighted in the description, then the presence of the best-before date becomes mandatory, unless the qualities are valid for at least 2 years. 

• If you decide to place the best-before date, it should be in the following format "best before [month] ]year".] In addition, the label should include a statement of the specific storage conditions necessary to ensure that the food will keep for the specified period.

The Food Standards Code prohibits health and nutrition claims with respect to a product containing more than 1.15% alcohol by volume, except for energy, carbohydrate or gluten content claims.

• Nutrition content claims refer to the presence or absence of certain nutrients or substances in a food, such as biologically active substances, proteins, sodium and vitamins.
• If an energy or carbohydrate content claim is made, a Nutrition Information Panel (NIP) must be included on the label. Gluten-free claims do not require a NIP.
• Finally, comparative claims such as "lighter in energy" must also indicate the comparison product. In addition, the difference between the amount of the claimed food property and that of the reference food must be at least 25% less.