Ingredients on Wine Labels?

J

Jeff Grossman

Jeff Grossman
I don't recall whether we've ever chewed this topic.

The impetus for it is some draft EU legislation (article). The problem, of course, is that not all additives are created equal... for example, sugar added for chaptalization becomes alcohol so does it make sense for a dry wine to show sugar as an ingredient? And added sulfur has a tendency to disappear, per se, as it merges with acetaldehydes and oxygen. Speaking for myself, I was quite surprised when I first saw a wine labeled "vegan"; who thinks about isinglass? And so on.

One winemaker's response (article). Those who have been here a while may remember Adam Lee from days of yore.
 
First, as a winemaker, I don't care much about “regulations.” Some tell me I should put the ABV on the label and then give me a plus/minus variance of x %. A regulation that few pay any attention to.
As a consumer, I would like to see it all - if mega-purple is your go to, I’d like to know.
But bottom line, regulations get bent, folks do what they think sells and these types of legislation are so much pandering.
When the authorities test every bottling for accuracy, then maybe (maybe) I’ll start to think it could, possibly, be true.
Or not.
Best, Jim
 
Tricky subject, not a good one for grandstanding on any position. What do you do with things added to wine that then disintegrate/bind/precipitate out? Is bringing the FDA into label approval good or bad? Or does TTB develop a parallel capability? If adding ingredient labels, why not nutrition information too? Etc.
 
originally posted by Florida Jim:

When the authorities test every bottling for accuracy, then maybe (maybe) I’ll start to think it could, possibly, be true.
Click to expand...
Surely we could settle for random sampling at some level of deterrence. Whatever they end up sampling for.
 
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
Tricky subject, not a good one for grandstanding on any position. What do you do with things added to wine that then disintegrate/bind/precipitate out?
Click to expand...
"Yeesh, look at these ugly white crystals on the cork! What the hell did Robert Mondavi put in here?"
 
Once the issue of what ingredients need to be put on a label is resolved, whenever a pallet of wine goes through customs, two random bottles could be tested to check if they conform. More red tape, of course, and it wouldn't work for domestic wine.
 
originally posted by Jeff Grossman:
originally posted by Christian Miller (CMM):
Tricky subject, not a good one for grandstanding on any position. What do you do with things added to wine that then disintegrate/bind/precipitate out?
Click to expand...
"Yeesh, look at these ugly white crystals on the cork! What the hell did Robert Mondavi put in here?"
Click to expand...

Ah yes, I remember that one from my restaurant days. If they were at the bottom of the bottle, you'd have to explain they weren't shattered glass.
 
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