| | The main purpose of the label is to inform the consumer, before the wine is uncorked, about the contents of the bottle and the quality that can be expected. Some elements are mandatory and are regulated by French consumer protection services. The rest, such as the brand name or vineyard, are optional: 1 - Mandatory: Regional designation, either “Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée” or “Vin de Pays”, followed by the appellation name or the geographic area where the wine was produced. Example: “Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée” or “Vin de Pays d’Oc” 2 - Mandatory: Name or company name of the bottler who is legally responsible for the wine and address of the corresponding head office. This information must be accompanied by the statement “Mis en bouteille par…” (“Bottled by…”) or “Société (Dupont) embouteilleur” (Dupont, bottling company). Example: “Mis en bouteille par (Dupont) à 33256 Carignan” (Bottled by Dupont in Carignan, 33256) 3 - Mandatory: Bottle volume in liters, centiliters or milliliters 4 - Mandatory: Degree of alcohol content, listed in % of total wine volume Optional: brand name, Château (estate) picture, gold border on label, “Carte Noire” designation (indicates a wine has been aged several years), vintage, back label, “Vieilles Vignes” (Old Vines), “Mis en Bouteilles à la propriété” (Estate Bottled). | In the Champagne region, the mandatory label elements are the same as for AOC wines, because Champagne is itself an appellation controllée. However, the process of making champagne, its residual sugar level and regional authorities often force producers to include more information on their labels. 1 - Mandatory: AOC designation, in this case just the word “Champagne” 2 - Mandatory: Brand name 3 - Mandatory: Bottle volume in liters, centiliters or milliliters 4 - Mandatory: Degree of alcohol content, listed in % of total wine volume 5 - Mandatory: Residual sugar levels, from the lowest (Brut Nature) to the highest (Doux), with Brut, Extra Dry, Sec and Demi-sec in between. 6 - Mandatory: The name or company name of the winemaker, the name of the village or town where production activities take place and the word “France”. 7 - Mandatory: The winemaker’s official registration number, preceded by the initials that signify the corresponding profession, including NM for Negociant Manipulant (Champagne house), RM for Récoltant Manipulant (winemaker that produces exclusively from his or her own grapes) and RC for Récoltant Coopérateur (a wine maker who has Champagne made by a cooperative) among others. | Even Vin de Table (table wines) produced in France are subject to strict marketing regulations. 1 - Mandatory: “Vin de Table de France” or “Vin de Table Français” designation. French wines blended with wines from other countries cannot be included in this category. 2 - Mandatory: Name or company name of the bottler who is legally responsible for the wine and address of the corresponding head office. To avoid confusion, the name of the village or town must be replaced by its zip code to avoid it being confused with an AOC. 3 - Mandatory: Bottle volume in liters, centiliters or milliliters 4 - Mandatory: Degree of alcohol content, listed in % of total wine volume Optional: Brand name | |