PfW logo.  Search PfW   Understanding Wine Labels (Part 5)
Wines named for the majority grape variety from which they are
made are known as varietal wines. Varietal labeling began as a
way for quality California producers to get away from generic
labeling and still give credence to their efforts to create
wines that would compete in quality with the finest in the
world.   Mayacamas Chardonnay label.  For more than three
decades following American Prohibition, most of the wine made in
the United States was dessert wine, fortified by the addition of
distilled alcohol to increase its strength.1 The majority of
wine grape vineyards had been replanted to grape types that ship
well (to supply the still-legal "home winemaking" demand) and
the best vinifera types were scarce. The demand for fine table
wine could be readily supplied by European imports. American
table wine, made from the best wine grapes, was a rare find in
the 1930s and 40s.  Justin Cabernet label.Many American soldiers
returning from World War II h