We all do it, often without thinking about it: choosing a bottle of wine because the label appeals to us. But is that even allowed? Isn't that a bit superficial for a true wine lover?
Text: Ingrid Larmoyeur (The Wine Institute) | Image: Unsplash
Yet there is nothing wrong with it, says Eliza Dumais in UK wine magazine Decanter. She advocates instead seeing the label as part of the wine experience. With hundreds of bottles in front of you on the shelf, the label is the first thing that can reveal the wine's personality.
What to do if you are not a famous château, a premier cru or a well-known appellation? For many winemakers, especially the smaller and/or unknown producers, the label is their first and only chance to tell at a glance who they are and what their wine stands for.
Labels are definitely important in the supermarket where, as a buyer, you are often on your own. Will you go for a label with a serious château, cute animals or something modern?
Design
A well-designed label can already indicate the style, origin or mood of a wine. And fair is fair: who has never chosen a bottle because the label was so beautiful or just so quirky?
Of course, there is also a pitfall: some bottles look better than they taste. And top wines with a boring label can be easily overlooked. But that doesn't make labels any less important. When designing, the question is: does the label match my knowledge of or expectation about the producer or region?' Labels invite you to discover, taste and perhaps be surprised.
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