Should American wines have lot numbers on the bottle?

Buying wine you’ve never tasted always requires a small leap of faith. You can take the words of a trusted reviewer, consider the points awarded or ask the advice of the wine shop staff.

Dr. Vino suggests that the United States might be able to improve consistency and help give wine drinkers more confidence in their purchases if the U.S. followed the lead of the European Union and mandated a lot number be placed on wine labels in an effort to track recalls and consumer complaints.

Currently, wineries in the United States are required to include six main pieces of information on every label: the name of the winery/brand, the type of wine, where it was bottled, the alcohol by volume, the net contents and a declaration that it contains sulfites if it was bottled after July 9, 1987.

The United States and the European Union have agreed to standardize terms in the past, primarily regulating which wines can be sold in which regions and what words can be used by American wineries.