Choosing your wine

A wine label is both simpler and richer in information than one might think. Simple, because once you know the few key elements, you can read any bottle in twenty seconds. Rich, because this information - appellation, vintage, producer, alcohol content - tells you something real about what you are going to drink.

This guide explains each mention, whether mandatory or not, and what it really tells you about the wine. We illustrate it using our own labels - because the best way to understand a label is to have one in front of you.

A French wine bottle typically has two labels: the main label on the front, and the back label. Information is distributed between the two according to precise rules.

The main label: the wine's identity

This is the visible side, the one that tells the wine's story in a few words. It generally includes:

• The name of the wine or cuvée — "Grande Réserve," "La Côte des Monts Damnés," "ES-56"
• The appellation — "Sancerre," "Pouilly-Fumé," "Menetou-Salon"
• The vintage — the harvest year
• The name of the producer or estate

The back label: regulatory information

On the back, you will find the mandatory information required by European regulations:

• The volume (75 cl, 37.5 cl, 150 cl…)
• The alcohol content in % vol.
• The 'contains sulfites' statement if the level exceeds 10 mg/L
• The batch number (traceability, sometimes engraved on the bottle)
• The bottler and their address
• The country of origin
• The Organic Farming logo and/or the Euroleaf if certified

On our bottles, the back label also includes terroir information — soil type, winemaking method, tasting notes, and recommended pairings. This is not a legal obligation: it's an editorial choice to help consumers understand what they are purchasing.

The appellation is the most informative element of a French label. It tells both where the wine was produced and under what rules.

AOC, AOP: what's the difference?

None, in fact—they are two appellations of the same system. AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) is the historical French term. AOP (Appellation d'Origine Protégée) is the corresponding European terminology. Both can be found on labels, sometimes side by side.

What an AOC/AOP guarantees:

• A precisely defined geographical area
• Authorized grape varieties—and often mandatory ones
• Maximum yield rules
• Regulated winemaking conditions
• Annual approval after tasting by the trade unions

What the appellation tells you about the grape variety

This is one of the most confusing particularities for enthusiasts unfamiliar with French tradition: the grape variety is often not indicated on the label because it is implicitly defined by the appellation.

• Sancerre white = Sauvignon Blanc—this is the only authorized variety for whites
• Sancerre red or rosé = Pinot Noir—likewise
• Pouilly-Fumé = Sauvignon Blanc
• Menetou-Salon white = Sauvignon Blanc
• Bourgogne red = Pinot Noir (with rare exceptions)
• Champagne = blend of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and/or Pinot Meunier

This territorial logic is specific to French tradition. It contrasts with the New World model—Australia, New Zealand, United States—where the grape variety is prominently displayed on the label. Our Clos Henri estate in New Zealand thus clearly states "Sauvignon Blanc" on the label, whereas our Sancerres leave this information implicit.

IGP: a more flexible designation

Below AOCs, IGPs (Indications Géographiques Protégées) regulate wines produced in a wider area with less strict rules. Our "Petit Bourgeois" and Grand Bourgeois range is sold as IGP Val de Loire—which allows us to vinify different grape varieties (Cabernet Franc, Pinot Noir for rosé) in a more flexible framework than the Sancerre AOC, while maintaining the same agronomic requirements.

The vintage is the year the grapes were harvested. It's one of the most useful pieces of information on a label — provided you know what to do with it.

What the vintage tells you:

• The age of the wine — and therefore its likely stage of evolution
• The style of the year — a fresh and taut vintage, or a warm and generous one
• The remaining aging potential — a 3-year-old wine from a great vintage still has a long way to go

How to interpret the vintage according to the wine

Reading the vintage depends on the type of wine and the cuvée. Some practical guidelines for our wines:

• Sancerre "Grande Réserve": ideal between 2 and 5 years — within this window, it is open, expressive, at its best
• Sancerre "La Côte des Monts Damnés": truly begins to flourish after 4 to 5 years, can last 7 to 10 years
• Sancerre "ES-56" and "d'Antan": age-worthy wines — 6 to 15 years depending on the vintage, do not open too soon
• "Petit Bourgeois" and Menetou-Salon: drink within 2 to 3 years

A recent vintage is not necessarily inferior to an older vintage. It all depends on the cuvée and what you are looking for. A "Grande Réserve" Sancerre from last year might be exactly what you need for tonight — whereas an "ES-56" from the same year would need 5 years in the cellar.

The name of the producer or estate is one of the most important – and often underestimated – pieces of information. Two bottles with the same appellation and vintage can be very different depending on who made them.

"Estate bottled": what it means

This mention, which you will find on our bottles, means that we cultivated the vines, made the wine, and bottled it ourselves. The entire process is under our responsibility.

Conversely, "bottled by" followed by a name different from that of the producer indicates a négociant – someone who bought the wine in bulk from producers and bottled it under their own brand. This is not necessarily a sign of lower quality, but it is a different approach.

Domaine vs. Château vs. Maison: the distinctions

• Domaine – common term in the Loire and Burgundy: the producer cultivates their own vines
• Château – Bordeaux term, but used everywhere: does not guarantee that the producer owns the vines
• Maison de négoce – buys grapes or bulk wine to make or blend under their own brand
• Coopérative – groups several winemakers who bring their grapes for collective winemaking

Alcohol content: an indicator of style

Alcohol content, expressed in % vol., indicates the ripeness of the grapes at harvest – and therefore indirectly the style of the wine. It is not a criterion of quality.

• 12 to 12.5%: fresh, light wine, harvested at moderate ripeness – typical of cool vintages in Sancerre
• 13 to 13.5%: more advanced ripeness, more generous wine – our most common range
• 14% and above: warm vintage, high ripeness, rounder and richer wine

On our labels, the alcohol content varies from vintage to vintage for the same cuvée – this is a faithful reflection of the climatic year, not a correction in the cellar.

Sulfites: demystifying the mention

"Contains sulfites" is a mandatory mention when the SO2 content exceeds 10 mg/L – which is the case for almost all wines. Sulfites are natural preservatives used for centuries in winemaking to protect wine from oxidation and bacteria.

In organic farming, sulfites are authorized but at capped doses lower than conventional wines. Our certified organic wines therefore contain sulfites – simply in smaller quantities.

The Organic Farming logo

The Organic Farming logo represents the letters AB on a green background and concerns only organic certification in France. This certification is obtained after the first three harvests "in organic conversion" and is controlled annually.

The Euroleaf logo (green leaf on a green background, with the FR-BIO-XX code of the certifying body) guarantees that the wine is made from grapes grown without synthetic products, according to European regulations.

All our Sancerre cuvées are certified Organic Farming – you will find the logo on all our labels.

Let's take our "La Côte des Monts Damnés" Sancerre white wine to illustrate how to read a wine label from A to Z.

Cuvée Name: "La Côte des Monts Damnés" — the name of the hillside from which the vines originate, cultivated since the 11th century in Chavignol.

Appellation: "Sancerre" — AOC, produced exclusively from Sauvignon Blanc for this white wine.

Producer: "Domaine Henri Bourgeois" — winemakers in Sancerre, cultivating vines since 1696.

Terroir (back label): "Kimmeridgian marl" — the Terres Blanches (White Lands), fossiliferous clay soil with a south-facing exposure.

Vintage: The harvest year — key for assessing the wine's stage of evolution.

Certification: Organic Agriculture logo — cultivation without synthetic products, annual certification.

Aging Potential (back label): 5 to 7 years — an indication we provide to guide the consumer.

The back label of our single-vineyard cuvées also mentions the type of soil, the vinification method, and sometimes suggested food pairings. This information is not mandatory — we include it because we believe a well-understood wine is a better-appreciated wine.