The 'W' in ISWN-W stands for Wine, and this 13-digit product identification code (CCC – RR - PPP.PPP – WWW) uniquely identifies each wine produced by and named by a different product name by the producer. The wine is further specified by the attributes such as the mix of grape types, geographical origin of the grapes, quality level, and details of the vinification process.

Use

Wine merchants use this code as a product code to manage inventory.
Advantage is that (unlike European Article Number) it is global, easily readable (contains information about the product), and exchangeable between business partners.

The ISWN Reference database allocates two types of specifications to the ISWN code:

• a name
• a set of characteristics to describe the wine, a.o. the mix of grape types, geographical origin of the grapes, quality level, details of the vinification process.

This is the product name or brand name allocated by wineries to describe their wines.

Examples

040 – 000.030 – 018	reads as Austria – Alois Kracher – Pinot Gris Eiswein
710 – 000.218 – 001	reads as South Africa – Thelema – Cabernet Sauvignon