E is for Estate-Bottled

   Time for another chapter in our "A-to-Z" adventure through the wonderful world of wine.

   Let's see . . . "A" was for aging . . . "B" was for Bordeaux . . . "C" was for Chenin Blanc . . . and "D" was for decanting. Which, as you may have astutely surmised, brings us to "E."

   Wine, A-To-Z, Contined: "E" is for "Estate-Bottled"

Enjoy!

Wine Label Mythology

   Wine has a language all its own, and in many cases, one person's definition of a particular word or term may be vastly different than another person's.

   The example that comes immediately to mind is "Fume Blanc." Coined some years ago by California vintner Robert Mondavi, the designation originally was used to differentiate between Sauvignon Blanc wines that either were or were not aged in oak.

   Those aged in oak were referred to as "Fume Blanc," while those aged in stainless steel retained the traditional Sauvignon Blanc name.

   However, this "rule" certainly isn't written in stone, and the "Fume Blanc" term now is used interchangeably with Sauvignon Blanc by many wineries.

   Some just like the sound of "Fume Blanc" better, perhaps because it invokes visions of France.

   Likewise, while the term "estate-bottled" has some perceived definitions, when you get right down to it, the words are meaningless.

"Estate-Bottled": The Evolution Of The Term

   Early on, the words "estate bottled" on a wine label inferred that the wine was crafted, aged and bottled at the winery, utilizing grapes grown in the winery's estate vineyards.

   But through the years, ever-growing numbers of vintners have weakened the term by using it on bottles that meet perhaps only one of the criteria -- that being that the wine was bottled at the winery.

   What this means is that the grapes could have come from anyplace, the wine could have been made anywhere, and the aging process could have taken place anywhere.

   The only part of the process that took place at the winery was transferring the wine from barrels or tanks into bottles.

Other Terms To Look For

   Because "estate-bottled" means different things to different people, there are other words to look for on a label if you're truly interested in finding a wine that was grown, made and bottled all in the same place.

   One example: "Estate-Grown." This infers that the grapes used to make the wine were grown in the winery's vineyards.

   Another example: "Such-and-Such Vineyard." This infers that all of the grapes used to make the wine were grown in a single, specific vineyard.

   If you're really interested in obtaining a wine that was "hands-on" from vineyard to bottle, look for the words, "Estate-Grown and Bottled."

   Even that wording does not provide a guarantee of any kind, but it's certainly a step in the right direction.