Federal Legibility Requirements for Labeling Wine

July 8, 2009

Wine labels—which must be pre-approved by TTB—are an important source of information for consumers.  This post is the first of what will be a series intended to explain federal wine labeling regulations and procedures.  Below is a summary of  the federal legibility requirements for labeling of wine, as provided by 27 CFR 4.38.

Brand Name -
Type Size: At least 2 mm on containers larger than 187 ml, 1 mm on containers 187 ml or less*
Location: Front/brand label

Class and Type -
Type Size: At least 2 mm on containers larger than 187 ml, 1 mm on containers 187 ml or less*
Location: Front/brand label

Appellation -
Type Size: In lettering as conspicuous as class and type, if labeled with varietal or vintage
Location: In direct conjunction with class and type, if labeled with varietal or vintage

Vintage -
Type Size: N/A
Location: Any label

Name / Address -
Type Size: At least 2 mm on containers larger than 187 ml, 1 mm on containers 187 ml or less*
Location: Any label

Alcohol Content -
Type Size: At least 1 mm but no more than 3 mm on containers 5 L or less
Location: Front / brand label

Contents -
Type Size: At least 2 mm on containers larger than 187 ml, 1 mm on containers 187 ml or less*
Location: Any label, or blown in glass

Sulfite Statement -
Type Size: At least 2 mm on containers larger than 187 ml, 1 mm on containers 187 ml or less*
Location: Any label

Health Warning -
Type Size: 237 ml or/less: at least 1 mm, no more than 40 cpi; over 237 ml to 3 L: at least 2 mm, no more than 25 cpi; over 3 L, 3 mm, no more than 12 cpi
Characters include letters, numbers, and marks, no spaces. “Government Warning” must be in all caps, bold type any label, separate and apart from other information
Location: Any label, separate and apart from other information

* If mandatory information is contained among other descriptive information, it must be of a size substantially more conspicuous than that of the descriptive information.


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