Wine labels: terms, styles, and clues

What you’ll learn from wine labels

Wine labels are packed with hints about style, quality, and origin—if you know how to read them. You’ll practice spotting key terms (sweetness, aging, grape names, regions) and connecting them to what’s likely in the glass.

Each question uses 4 options and there’s no timer, so you can take a moment to compare similar terms and think through the clue on the label.

Difficulty and quiz settings

Difficulty is mixed on purpose: easier items test core vocabulary, while harder ones focus on regional rules, overlapping terms, and subtle style cues. Before you start, choose your question count and difficulty to keep it quick for revision or longer for deep practice.

• Translate common label terms into likely taste and body
• Identify region and classification cues that imply quality level
• Distinguish grape vs. place names and avoid false friends
• Recognize aging and production terms that change style expectations
• Build confidence comparing similar-looking labels across countries

Common pitfalls to avoid

Many misses come from assuming one country’s term means the same elsewhere, or mixing up grape names with appellations. Watch for near-identical words (especially sweetness and aging terms) and remember that some labels emphasize producer/region more than grape variety.

Tips to score higher

When stuck, eliminate options by asking: Is this term about place, grape, sweetness, or aging? Then choose the answer that best predicts the wine’s style rather than the one that merely “sounds fancy.”