Vat & Bin

What do the terms Vat and Bin, followed by a number, mean on a wine label? Traditionally, certain wine, aged in a specific vat, tasted better than others, so it was bottled with that vat number on the label to distinguish it. Some bottled wine, stored at a winery awaiting shipment, may have tasted better than others when opened, so it wore its bin number on the label. Today, however, little of this concept is valid. More often than not, the use of bin and vat on labels are merely marketing ploys to make the consumer think the wine is somehow special, but really isn’t. Some of this labeling has evolved into branded names. Just be aware of this type of labeling and read back labels to see if the term carries any significance.