An email from three different people asking much the same question leads me to suspect that the question might just be in need of an answer. What these readers wanted to know is how useful is the information you get on a French wine label. Like many things that are governed by EU directive, the label on a bottle of wine is designed to give you the consumer information and certain guarantees as well. Apart from informing you of the country of origin, it will tell you from what part of the country it's from, and that's the first rule of label-reading - the more exactly the label specifies where the wine is from, in theory the better the wine is.

Let's take the practical example of a wine from Bordeaux. All the main wine-growing areas of France have an AC - an appellation controllee - which means that the wine carrying that mark conforms to the standards set down for that area, things like the amount of wine produced per hectare, what grapes are used, what alcoholic strength it has reached after fermentation. So if you find a wine with AC Bordeaux written on it, you're guaranteed by the French authorities that the wine in the bottle is from Bordeaux and not from the Languedoc. If it says AC Haut Medoc, which is a fairly big piece of northern Bordeaux, it'll be a better wine. If it says AC Margaux it'll be better again, as it's now specifying an even more defined area. If it says 'Chateau Margaux' it's now defined to a single vineyard, and you'll pay accordingly.

Even here there are divisions much like the English football leagues. In 1855 most of the Medoc was classified on the basis of market prices and five grades of Crus Classes were codified. Essentially they're much the same today as they were then, but Chateau Mouton has moved to a Premier Grand Cru. Ranking just below the Crus Classes are the Crus Bourgeois and the Crus Bourgeois Exceptionnels. Don't confuse these great growths with the Grands Crus of the Saint Emilion, which have their own classification.

In the rest of France the same rule applies; Cotes de Rhone is a big area, Cotes de Rhone Villages smaller and therefore better, Gigondas or Cornas are specific villages and therefore are better again. In Chablis a Premier Cru is better than a plain Chablis, a Grand Cru is better again, and that system of ranking holds true of Burgundies as well.

What French traditional labels don't tell you is what grapes are used, since you're expected to know what grapes are used in traditional wines. You won't find 'Pinot Noir' written on a red Burgundy or 'Chardonnay' on a white, you're expected to take that for granted.

Wine of the Week

Vina Borgia 2001, Campo de Borja

This is a smashing red, full of body and tastes and likely to live long in the bottle if you can manage not to open it. It's made entirely from the Garnacha grape and is great value at the RRP of €7.49.

Available O'Brien's Off-licences.