Wine Labelling Process - Coursework Example

WINE LABELLING by Student’s Name Code + Name of Course Institution City/State Professor Date Wine Labelling Wine labels are very important sources of information, as they represent a means by which the winery communicates with the customer. Wine labels also represent a major and very significant vehicle and tool for communication as well as marketing. In most parts of the world, most wines can be identified by their labels and in purchasing or selling a particular type of wine in restaurants, hotels, and wine stores among other places. There are two main procedures that are followed in wine labelling, and these include the generic wine labelling procedure, which is mainly observed in France; the wines are labelled by the region where they grow. The other procedure is the varietal wine labelling, which is mainly use in Australia and a number of other countries. It involves labelling the particular wines according to the type of grape that has been used in making it (Julyan 2008, p.47). Generic wine labels in France usually have no grape varieties printed; however, they are labelled according to the Appellation D’origine controlee laws, which assume that consumers know each region’s main grape variety, and therefore, can identify their wines from the regions that they are grown (Small, Couturier & Godfrey 2011, p. 70). Generic wines therefore have the region on the label and do not have the grape variety on it. The advantages of generic wine labelling is that it encourages the consumers to learn the grape variety through the region where it grows best. Generic wine labelling also brings prestige to the region since as it encourages the staff and the guests to learn about the wine region it helps to control the quality of wine produced. Varietal wines are those that are labelled with the name of the grape from which they are produced. This therefore assures the buyer that the particular wine they are about to purchase contains 75% of the variety of the grape that it has been identified with. Varietal wine labelling eliminates the need for much education in the wine industry and a lot of knowledge of the particular type of grape because the customer as well as the vendor of the wine can be able to easily identify with the particular wine grape to effectively market it. Due to this fact, varietal wines tend to reach a wider and considerably larger market area as compared to the generic wine labelling procedure (Wine Spectator 1998, p.19). In comparing the different labelling procedures, the generic wine labels in France have no grape varieties printed whereas the varietal wine labels in Australia have the grape variety included on the label (Small, Couturier & Godfrey 2011, p. 70). One can better understand how this can affect customers in a restaurant, positively or negatively. Concerning the discrepancy in labelling, one can further understand the steps that a manager can take in order to address the issues and provide information that provide accurate labelling and information regarding the wines served in a restaurant. This knowledge will further help an individual to understand the information that is essential to customers and how the disclosure of the information will help benefit both the restaurant serving the wines and the customer. Varietal procedure of labelling wines could positively affect customers in a restaurant, and therefore, increase the number of customers visiting the restaurant (Julyan 2008, p.47). This is brought about by the fact that the label is the only resource that the customer has of evaluating the kind of wine that they are just about to purchase. In varietal wine labelling, the kind of information that is found on the label include the type of wine, the type of grape that it is produced from, the alcoholic degree that is present in the wine, and the producer, bottler, importer of the wine (Wine Spectator 1999, p. 17). This information helps the customers lacking much knowledge on wines and is just taking the wine for the first time to judge it from the alcohol content in it and from the kind of grape that has been used in the production. Therefore, one of the positive effects of varietal wine labelling procedure is that it helps ensure that even the customers with little or no wine knowledge at all can choose the best kind of wine that is pleasing to them with reference to alcohol content and also the type of grape that has been used in the production. Another advantage of labelling wine through the varietal procedure is that it ensures that a particular brand of wine is effectively marketed, and therefore, the quality wine are easily identified from the particular grape of origin that has been used in the production of the particular type of wine. This helps ensure that the restaurant staff market effectively the good quality wine labels to their customers as such increasing their sales. Pinney (2005, p.77) claims that in order to effectively sell wine, the particular grape knowledge is ultimately important, and this therefore makes the knowledge and praise of the wine quality to spread to many people overtime. Contrarily, varietal wine labelling has its own disadvantages to both the customers and the staff of a given particular restaurant (Pinney 2005, p.77). This is because the particular information given in the wine label is sometimes inconsistent with the type of grape that has been used in the manufacture and packaging of the particular wine. This information is usually misleading to the customer and therefore can lead to giving the wrong impression of the particular restaurant and the wine company as a whole. Further, information on the varietal type of wine labelling usually includes the alcohol content and for some type of grapes, giving the correct information in such cases will deem the particular wine to be too fruity or having too much alcohol and as such might not be favoured by the customer (Small, Couturier & Godfrey 2011, p. 70). Generic wine labelling has its positive effects to customers and the staff in a given restaurants where they are sold (Pinney 2005, p.77). To the customers it enables them to learn the background culture of the vineyard from where the wine came from and be able to identify the grape by seeing where it came from. This helps the customers and staff since they are able to identify the particular wine with the regions with which they are grown. There are various regions that are associated with the best wines and some periods when the bet quality of wine is grown. Having knowledge of the wine regions that wine grows helps to ensure the customer can effectively choose the best wines available (Small, Couturier & Godfrey 2011, p.70). Furthermore, knowledge of the particular region where different wines grow helps to bring prestige to the region and ensure that the region maintains production of the highest quality of wines for long periods. Moreover, this knowledge helps the regions with the acquired prestige to grow and increase the efficiency of the wine production overtime (Julyan 2008, p.47). However, the generic wine labelling has its disadvantages and these manifests themselves to the customers and the customer staff as a whole. The customers who do not have knowledge on the particular vineyards that produce certain types of wine cannot be able choose the best wine types since they do not have the best information to do so. Moreover, only specific people with information on the particular vineyards that produce the best grapes can use the generic wine labelling procedure (Small, Couturier & Godfrey 2011, p.70). The other disadvantage of generic wine labelling is that it makes the areas that are not known o do not have prestige for growing the best type of wines to lack a considerable market and as such they lead to the places having major losses among other disadvantages. The other disadvantage is that the wines that are bought are usually according to the brand name and therefore it is quite difficult for new regions and their wine varieties to easily penetrate and have a grip in the market since it is already established. A manager need to consider some steps to ensure that the problem of generic wine labelling and the disadvantages associated with varietal wine labelling are mitigated. Petrosky (2005, p.56) states that customers need to be educated on the different types of wine varieties that exist. Therefore as a manager, I will ensure that I educate my staff on the various types of wine variety labelling that exist and the type of generic labelling that is in existence. Furthermore, I will ensure that I put up wine manuals that show the particular wine label and also the period, which it is produced, and the area that it was produced. This knowledge will help the customers who do not have the particular knowledge on the growing region of the wine, which will help in the selection of generic wines. Putting up wine manuals will ensure that a customer is able to identify the best kind of wine and the grapes that are used in the production of the grapes in varietal labelling. Reference List Julyan, B. K 2008, Sales and service for the wine professional, London, Cassell. Petrosky, M. C 2005, The wine club: A month-by-month guide to learning about wine with friends, Des Moines, IA, Meredith Books. Pinney, T 2005, A History of wine in America: [volume2], Berkeley Calif, University of California Press. Small, R. W, Couturier, M & Godfrey, M 2011, Beverage basics: Understanding and appreciating wine, beer, and spirits, Hoboken, N.J, Wiley. Wine Spectator 1998, Ultimate guide to buying wine, New York, M. Shanken Communications. Wine Spectator 1999, Wine spectator's California wine: A comprehensive guide to the wineries, wines, vintages and vineyards, with ratings and tasting notes for 5000 wines, New York, Wine Spectator Press. Read More