Glossary of Italian Wine Terms

Abbocatto - Lightly Sweet.
Agronomo dr. - Agronomist with a University Degree.
Alcool - Alcohol, usually stated by % of volume.
Amabile - Semisweet.
Annata - Vintage year.
Azienda Agricola - Farm or estate which produces all or most of the grapes for wine sold under its labels.
Bianco - White.
Botte - Cask or bottle.
Brute - Dry (sparkling white).
Cantina - Cellar or winery.
Cantina Sociale - Cooperative winery.
Casa Vinicola - Wine house or merchant whose bottlings come mainly from purchased grapes.
Cascina - Farmhouse, often used for "estate".
Classico - The historic core of a DOC/DOCG zone.
Clone - Clone.
Consorzio - Consortium of producers.
Dolce - Sweet.
Enologo - Enologist with long wine making experience.
Enoteca - Wine shop, literally wine library.
Etichetta - Label.
Ettaro - Hectare or 2.471 acres.
Ettolitro - Hectoliter or 100 liters.
Fattoria - Farm or estate.
Frizzante - Fizzy.
Imbottigliata - Bottled.
Invecchiato - Aged.
Passito - Partially dried grapes and the strong, usually sweet wines made from them.
Podere - Small farm or estate.
Prodotto - Produced, the producer grew his own grapes and processed the wine all the way through bottling and labeling.
Produttore - Producer.
Recioto - Wine made from partly dried grapes.
Riserva - Reserve, for DOC/DOCG wine aged for a specific amount of time.
Rosato - Rose.
Rosso - Red.
Secco - Dry.
Spumante - Sparkling in dry or sweet wines.
Superiore - Denotes DOC/DOCG wine that meets standards above the basic level.
Tenuta - Farm or estate.
Terreno - Soil.
Terroir - Interaction of climate and soil and its effect on the growing of vine.
Uva - Grape.
Vecchio - Old.
Vendemmia - Harvest or vintage.
Vendemmia Tardiva - Late Harvest.
Vigna or vigneto - Vinyard.
Vino Novello - New wine, usually a red that must be bottled and sold within the year of harvest.
Vitigno - Vine or grape variety.
Vivace - Lively.