# 2014 or 2015 on label



## 2020steve (Dec 31, 2014)

What year do you put on label for wine that I started fermenting in 2014 and will be stabilized in 2015??


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## DoctorCAD (Dec 31, 2014)

I bottled today, started in June, and put 1-15 on the bottles. I want to know how much time in the bottle, not the year of the harvest (which was actually 2013).


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## acorn (Dec 31, 2014)

Good question. I always thought that it's the year when you crush and start the fermentation.


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## Julie (Dec 31, 2014)

I always put the year it was created in large letters right under the name of the wine and in small print at the bottom of the label, (usually off to the right) I will have the date it was created and the dare it was bottled.


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## vacuumpumpman (Dec 31, 2014)

acorn said:


> Good question. I always thought that it's the year when you crush and start the fermentation.



I agree ^^
Alot of times they will stay in the carboy for nearly 2 years ,before bottling


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## jensmith (Jan 1, 2015)

Botteling date. Thats the only date I go by. I keep seperate records of everything else. I assume winerys only put the year it was bottled on their labels. Not harvest or start date. 

Legally you are alowed to make 100 -200 galeons of wine a year. It does not count as wine untill it gets bottled. So the bottleing date is the only leagal date that matters. 
My interpetaion is if you drink it defore it gets bottled it does not count twords your 100-200 galeons a year  

I think label info is a personal choice. How much info on each bottle do you need to enjoy drinking it? Most people I give my wine to only care how tasty it is. If I am drinking it myself I can always check my records for extra info I may have forgoten. Besides I hand write all my lables. Less info the better!! 



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## ibglowin (Jan 1, 2015)

I always use the year I pitched the yeast and turned it into wine. When they go onto the rack to lie down I put a wine bottle tag on one of the bottles with the label and "Born on Date" so I can easily see at a glance how old that wine is.


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## BernardSmith (Jan 1, 2015)

I am going to chime in and show my ignorance... I suspect that the date on a bottle is added for specific purposes. If the date of the harvest is important to you use that date. If the date when you pitched the yeast is what is important then use that date. The date when you bottled? Use that date. The date when you want to open the first bottle? Print that date (even if that date is 2017). I thought commercial vintners used the harvest date - because all other things being equal the harvested fruit will make the critical difference between a bottle of wine bottled in 1950, 1970, 1990 or 2014


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 1, 2015)

jensmith said:


> Botteling date. Thats the only date I go by. I keep seperate records of everything else. I assume winerys only put the year it was bottled on their labels. Not harvest or start date.
> 
> Legally you are alowed to make 100 -200 galeons of wine a year. It does not count as wine untill it gets bottled. So the bottleing date is the only leagal date that matters.
> My interpetaion is if you drink it defore it gets bottled it does not count twords your 100-200 galeons a year
> ...



I would like to know where you found about that it has to be bottled to count as the 100-200 gallons per year ?

I could only find where they talk about 100-200 gallons a year per household only.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2015)

Wineries put the harvest date on the bottles, not the bottling date. Some years the harvest is much better than others and that can reflect the cost of the bottle. So if 2012 was a very good year it could bring a better price than a 2011 or 2013.


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## Runningwolf (Jan 1, 2015)

vacuumpumpman said:


> I would like to know where you found about that it has to be bottled to count as the 100-200 gallons per year ?
> 
> I could only find where they talk about 100-200 gallons a year per household only.



I was wondering the same thing. This is the same question I have always wondered and have never been able to find an exact answer. You have made wine as soon as the yeast has completed their job. but is the 200 gallons counted as fermented or bottled?


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## petey_c (Jan 1, 2015)

I always thought that wineries put the year of the harvest on the bottle, "The 1975 Pinot was great because they had bad weather and the vines had to struggle..." With my beer, I put the date it was brewed on. Wort and grape juice are just that until the yeast starts doing their job. In the US you are allowed to make 100 Gals per (adult) person and 200 gals per household. I don't think the brew police (ATFE) will be beating down my door if I go over the limit, but I know they're watching me. hahaha


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## Rocky (Jan 1, 2015)

I would say that it depends on what I want the date to signify. If I want to highlight a particular vintage, I put the date the grapes were harvested. If I want to know when I bottled it in order to know how long I have had it on a shelf, I put that date. I have a simple code that I use on my labels (PY = pitched yeast, BA = entered bulk aging, BBL = entered barrel aging and BTL = bottled and possibly a note on the supplier of a kit or juice). So my label may have the following, for example, "Cabernet Sauvignon, WE Selection, PY 6-13, BA 7-13, BTL 7-14." This would indicate a Cabernet Sauvignon from the WinExpert Selections offerings which I started in June 2013, went to bulk aging July, 2013 and bottled in July 2014. In addition, I have a complete history of the wine in my computer and in the above example the wine would be identified as "Cabernet Sauvignon 0613", which is when I started it and when the file was created. It is simple and works for me.


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## tmmii (Jan 1, 2015)

I use blue painters tape and put what grape it was, where it was from and when it was bottled. 

Zin chili spring 14 bottled 11/14 is kind of what mine look like. And the painters tape comes off with no bs.


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## cmason1957 (Jan 1, 2015)

One of the great things I like about not being a commercial winery is I can put whatever date I want, whatever information I want, whatever picture I want on any of my labels and nobody but me (well SWMBO gets more of a vote also). Generally, I put the year the fruit came from, without regard to when I pitched the yeast or bottled, but that is just us.


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## richmke (Jan 1, 2015)

vacuumpumpman said:


> I would like to know where you found about that it has to be bottled to count as the 100-200 gallons per year ?



I don't have the cite, but the Tax is owed on the alcohol at the time it is bottled. So, it makes sense that the annual limit is based upon the time the tax is due.

Hmmm.... that raises an interesting question. At Sams Club, I saw that you can buy (pre-order) an entire barrel of Whisky. I wonder if that somehow avoids some of the tax.

Regarding "year" on a wine bottle. For commercial wines, it is a reference to the year of harvest. I presume that the wine has to be a certain percentage of that harvest. Otherwise, it is an undated wine.

As an individual, you can put whatever date you want.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 1, 2015)

Rich - I did google it a bit and found that you pay tax per gallon according to this article 
http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/wine.pdf

It only makes sense to me to be taxed on what you sold - 
what happened if you ruined a complete batch of wine ? do you still have to pay the government ?


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## jensmith (Jan 1, 2015)

Runningwolf said:


> I was wondering the same thing. This is the same question I have always wondered and have never been able to find an exact answer. You have made wine as soon as the yeast has completed their job. but is the 200 gallons counted as fermented or bottled?



It has been several years seince I came acrosses the onfo regarding "it counts as wine only after it has been bottled". I was not searching that question spacificaly, but found several tidbits and articals on it during another search. I just read whats interesting even it it was not what I was looking for. It was not just one source, but I can't quote the exact publications I got it from. I am a terrible record keeper of random info I have a freind who owns a winery. I can ask him what the rules are about wine made. 

In the past I have bought wine labled 2012 in the year 2012. So I asuumed it was labled for the year it was bottled. I don't like most store bought wines so don't pay much attention to them. Hence the "assume" its labeled for bottleing date". Home made wine is another story in regards to liking it!! 


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## jensmith (Jan 1, 2015)

I spoke my my winery owner freind. He said the laws for when a wine becomes wine differes by state. Some are "wine" after fermentaion, others are not considered "wine" untill it can be poured out of a bottle into a glass. 
Also as to the labeling date. That is a personal preferance of which labeling laws and requrements you want to follow. Different rules for differents dates. ie, Bottle date or crop harvest date. You can even chose not to date your wine in any way. ( this having the least amount of rules to follow!) 

So I guess we are all right 


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## jumby (Jan 2, 2015)

I put the year it was bottled.


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## FTC Wines (Jan 2, 2015)

I make fruit wines, kits & wine from grapes. So I use the date I pitch the yeast. As stated above I age in carboys up to 18 months so I don't feel bottled date would be accurate. Roy


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## GaDawg (Jan 2, 2015)

I put the date I pitch the yeast and it turns to wine. But ya'll use whatever date you want, after all it's your wine!


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## Floandgary (Jan 2, 2015)

Date of harvest and subsequent date yeast pitched are usually pretty close. These dates would be critical for gathering information on the growing conditions for a particular crop which in turn is the first input to the equation of what makes that crop so-so or exceptional. Can be a resource when determining your next purchase of juice or grapes.


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## JohnT (Jan 2, 2015)

I always go with the philosophy that the year is determined by when the fruit was harvested. 


I know that this must be tough when making wine from Welch's, since opening a can is not harvesting fruit, but you could always used the "sell by" date.


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## GEM (Jan 2, 2015)

I put the time they were crushed/fermented. I usually leave the red wines in a carboy for bulk aging for about a year, then bottle. Custom is that you date the wine from the harvest/crush but for your own wine you can put whatever date you want on the label.


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## GreginND (Jan 2, 2015)

vacuumpumpman said:


> Rich - I did google it a bit and found that you pay tax per gallon according to this article
> http://www.taxadmin.org/fta/rate/wine.pdf
> 
> It only makes sense to me to be taxed on what you sold -
> what happened if you ruined a complete batch of wine ? do you still have to pay the government ?



Actually, there are two kinds of taxes - excise tax and sales tax. Both the Federal Government and State Governments charge an excise tax on the production of the wine. This must be paid before a wine is moved from a bonded-wine production area to non-bonded areas.

Sales taxes are local (state, county, city) and are due when the wine is actually sold.

If wine is ruined and disposed of there is paperwork to do to document the loss and excise taxes are not required. It has never left the bonded wine facilities.


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## Boatboy24 (Jan 3, 2015)

I always thought it was the year of the harvest for commercial wines. But last night, I had a Merlot that said "Vinted 2012", whatever that means.


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## richmke (Jan 3, 2015)

Boatboy24 said:


> "Vinted 2012"



2012 is still the harvest date. "Vinted" means that they bottled it, but not necessarily made the wine.


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## vacuumpumpman (Jan 3, 2015)

richmke said:


> 2012 is still the harvest date. "Vinted" means that they bottled it, but not necessarily made the wine.



here is a very good article that talks about it - 

http://goodcheapvino.com/vinted-and-bottled-by-be-a-wine-label-detective/


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