Long before concepts like “terroir”, “Grand Cru”, “First Growth”, and AVA entered the wine lexicon, there was the humble wine label.

It was so humble that it appeared as little more than some identifying data on a clay jar. Indeed, the need to record important features about a particular wine was an early and natural preference - and one we can thank the Ancient Egyptians for.

In Part 1, we dive into the fascinating evolution of the wine label, from Pharaohs to smartphones and the steps along the way.

When archaeologists first started to explore the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs, they didn’t just discover mummies, jewelry, and funerary boats. They also came across numerous clay wine jars present to help the funeral chamber’s occupant in the afterlife journey. Placed in tombs anytime up to three millennia BC, the jars were inscribed with hieratic script (a form of writing used for religious and administrative purposes) detailing the contents within. Information included the vintage, winemaker, and vineyard site plus sometimes named the pharaoh who was reigning at the time of the wine’s “bottling”.

Mesopotamia, another magnificent ancient civilization, used an early wine-tracking system with similar information logged on clay tablets or amphorae. The purpose was to record the details of wine used in trade and sacred rites.  

The Greeks were big wine drinkers who took great pride in the quality of their production. Stored in amphorae, ancient Greek wines bore details about the wine’s origin and sometimes the grape variety.

The Romans made it their business to plant vines wherever they went across their vast empire so their soldiers would never be thirsty. Enhancing the legacy of their predecessors, they added provenance, vineyard, and grape details on stamps or seals to their wine vessels plus the name of any shipper for accurate trade logs.

Takeaway: The ancient roots of wine labeling.

The Middle Ages in Europe saw an explosion of wine production improvements, often under the meticulous care of monasteries, important producers of the time. Wine labeling also evolved, and we began to see the template of modern wine labels emerging. In addition to vineyard credentials, the name of the plot owner was recorded alongside the style of wine (oak-aged Burgundy or a complex white anybody?). The vessel that displayed this information was, typically, the good old-fashioned barrel.

Takeaway: Better production meant nuanced wine identification.

As the use of glass bottles became more widespread in the 1600s, the development of wine labels followed suit. This was when labels started to resemble the incarnations we’re accustomed to today. Paper tags affixed onto a bottle bore credentials like the wine’s producer and origin. Labels could be handwritten or printed. With the contemporary expansion of printing technology, wine labels became more standardized, a development that lent itself to the need for better identification as wine trade expanded across the European continent.

Takeaway: Wine label standardization begins.

The 19th century saw a turning point in wine quality and reputation. The historic 1855 Bordeaux classification, born from the Paris Exposition of the same year, categorized Left Bank wine châteaux according to the quality of their terroirs, reputation, and, therefore, their wines. From the lowest (but still super-impressive!) rung on the ladder of 5th Growth to the top position of 1st Growth, Bordeaux wine producers boasted olden-day equivalents of USPs. Burgundy was similarly making strides in quality and esteem. In Germany, an identical pattern was emerging with top-tier regions like Mosel and Rheingau gaining recognition for their high caliber as were wines in Italy’s Piedmont and Veneto and Spain’s Rioja.

It was a logical progression for such producers to use wine labels to tell merchants and consumers what made them and their wines so distinct. As such, wine labels of this time tended to be elegant and wordy!

Takeaway: Wine labels marketing prestigious quality designations and regions gets underway.

The 20th century saw several key developments in the evolution of wine labels. Firstly, wine bodies introduced wine production standards to safeguard quality and provenance. Whether AOC, DOCG, VDP, DOCa, or AVA, if a wine merited such a distinction, by law the quality designation had to appear on the label and, in the case of particular appellations, vintage, producer name, grape variety, sweetness level, and region. Generally, the more celebrated the region, the stricter the labeling requirements. In like manner, laws were implemented about alcohol content information, quantity, and any allergens.

In short, today, whether to highlight status or health and safety, wine labels are hubs of info! To make information accessible to customers with vision problems, braille is also becoming increasingly prevalent.

While wine label information has been standardized, design has become an arena for extravagance and experimentation. Regions like Bordeaux and Burgundy tend towards classic label styles that have their origins in the early modern era (there are exceptions though like in the 20th century abstract art labels of Mouton Rothschild).

Elsewhere, especially in New World regions, designs range from decorative to minimalistic, ironic to witty — and everything in between. In this approach, the emphasis is on marketing with an eye-catching label that makes a wine stand out. How often have you bought a wine because you like its label?  

Technology has also influenced wine label design. For example, QR codes scanned by a smartphone can lead to tasting notes, winemaking methods, a producer website, or even an online video about the wine. Such tech can also confirm the provenance of a bottle of wine.

Contemporary wine label design has become a parallel industry to winemaking with its own consort of professionals and award events.

Takeaway: In-depth information, eye-catching marketing, and cutting-edge technology are the features of modern wine labels.

So, next time you scan that QR code to gather wine insights or admire an inventive image, remember the ancients who started the story of the wine label thousands of years ago!

Keep an eye out for “Wine labels Part 2: Contemporary Bordeaux styles” when leading châteaux tell Westgarth Wines the tales behind their wine labels. 

Want to read more? Take a look at some of our other blogs:

• • Bordeaux winemakers on their personal top cellar picks
  • Drinking with the Gods: Dionysian references in wine
  • The 20th century abstract art labels of Mouton Rothschild