Wine labelling

Wine produced in or imported to the UK must comply with regulations on wine labelling.

Labelling 'wine'

The description 'Wine' must be shown on the label as the category for wine without geographical designation where the provenance descriptor does not include the term 'wine'.

Provenance of wine

Wines without geographical designation are allowed to show country as 'Wine of England (or Wales)' or 'Product of England' or 'Produced in England' instead of 'Wine of United Kingdom' or equivalent. Other wines (Quality, Regional and sparkling) must also use one of these formats for the country.

UK Quality Wine Schemes guidance

It is important to ensure your labelling complies with the following guidance.

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

PDF

View Guide to the UK Quality Wine Schemes - Still wines as PDF(Open in a new window) (230.54 KB)

England, Northern Ireland and Wales

PDF

View Guide to the UK Quality Wine Schemes - Sparkling wines as PDF(Open in a new window) (253.9 KB)

Units of alcohol and related health warnings are not compulsory on wine. Details about these items can be found on the Portman Group website.

Allergen labelling on wine

Wine can contain allergens which may affect consumers with a food allergy or intolerance.

The following wines must include a statement on one of the labels if any of the 14 allergens designated by food law are present in the product:

• wines with sulphur dioxide exceeding 10 mg/litre
• wines which are fined with milk or egg products (detectable limits in the finished product at levels above 0.25 mg/litre) should be clearly labelled.

The wording must include the word 'contains':

• sulphur dioxide/sulphites/sulfites
• ‘egg’, ‘egg protein’, ‘egg product’, ‘egg lysozyme’ or ‘egg albumin’
• ‘milk’, ‘milk products’, ‘milk casein’ or ‘milk protein’

Labels on imported wine

For advice on specific labels, contact your regional inspector.

Producers from outside the UK should direct enquiries to their importer in the UK.