Reading a Wine Label from South Africa

Key:

1. Warwick Estate: The producer.
2. Trilogy: The wine name.
3. 1997: The year the grapes were harvested (the vintage year). As South Africa is in the Southern Hemisphere, the grapes will have been harvested in April, as opposed to September, as is the case in Northern Hemisphere wines.
4. Wine of Origin Stellenbosch: May also be written as W.O. This indicates that Stellenbosch is the officially recognized region in which this wine was made.

Notice that the grape varieties are not mentioned. In 1997, Trilogy was made up from 60% Cabernet Sauvignon & 30% Merlot and 10 % Cabernet Franc. The proportions of these grapes will vary from year to year.