The CorkscrewHow to decipher wine labels

In Hong Kong, having the right label on a handbag, pair of shoes, watch or car is important.

When it comes to food, our government believes it is vital we know the nutritional content of any packaged product, requiring a label that usually obscures the original (even if it was more helpful). As with food labels in most parts of the world, the ingredients are listed from the largest component (by weight) to the smallest, and we're given information about the nutrition of the product, such as the amount of fat, sodium, fibre and cholesterol. Wines, though, do not require these nutrition labels, even though they are made from grapes grown with wildly varying standards of care and viticultural practices.

Even grapes labelled as organic or biodynamic can still have traces of chemicals - perhaps a neighbouring vineyard uses a spray, which can drift on the breeze over the vines. And rainwater can wash chemicals downhill onto a vineyard from one higher up a slope.

New World wines are much more upfront with their labelling information than their Old World counterparts. The labels list the grapes used to make the wine and almost always provide further information about the vineyard and winemaker. In general, with New World wines, if there is only one grape stated on the label, the contents of the bottle will be at least 85 per cent of that grape. This is helpful information for anyone who is keen on a particular grape or style of wine.

In Australia, the preservative used to keep a wine stable must be noted on the back label; asthma sufferers should watch out for sulphites such as sulphur dioxide and preservatives numbered from E220 to E228. Wines have varying levels of sulphites but, generally speaking, the sweeter the wine, the higher the amount. Interestingly (although not exactly on topic), beer has the least amount of sulphites of any alcoholic drink.

Old World wines are a bit of a hodgepodge of labelling information. For a wine neophyte, it can be a confusing world. In Bordeaux, France, most labels have a pen-and-ink depiction of an old chateau with its name in a prominently sized font. Next there is the appellation - where it's from - and then the vintage. In small print are the name of the owner/wine group and the percentage of alcohol. Look out for the line " mis en bouteilles a la propriete", which tells you it was vinified and bottled at the chateau - a good sign that it's not a mass-produced wine. Sometimes, in very fine print, you will see " contient des sulfites" (contains sulphites) and perhaps " vin non filtre" (unfiltered wine, which is a tip to consider decanting when you open the bottle). What the wine label doesn't state is the grapes that go into it. It's up to the customer to find out.