About Italian Wines
Commonly used terms found on Italian wine labels »
Reading a wine label »
Below are some commonly used terms found on Italian wine labels:
Abboccato (ah boh ka’ toe) semi-dry (slightly sweet)
Amabile (ah mah’ bee lay) semi-sweet (“gently” sweet)
Annata (ah not’ ah) — vintage year (i.e., year the grapes were harvested)
Azienda Agricola (ah zhen da’ azh ri co’ lah) — typically a farm or estate that uses its own grapes in the production of its wines.
Bianco (bee ahn’ koh) — white
Bottiglia (bo tee’ lee yah) — bottle
Bricco, Bric (bric’ coh; brick) — northern Italian dialect for “ridge” or “slope,” presumably to indicate a superior location.
Brut (broot) — a dry sparkling wine.
Cantina (can tea nuh) — another name for a winery.
Cantina Sociale (can tea nuh so shi’ al) — co-opeative producer or cellar
Cascina (ka shi’nah) — farmhouse, often used for estate
Classico (clah’ see coh) — from the central (and usualy oldest) zone of a production area
Dolce (dole chay’) — sweet
Fattoria (fat toh ree’ ah) — farm or estate
Frizzante (free zahn’ tae) — lightly sparkling, fizzy
Imbottiglato all’Origine (im bot tee yahl’ toe ahl oh ree’ gee nae) — estate-bottled
Liquoroso (lee kwo roh’ so) — fortified with alcholol
Passito (pah seet’ toh) — concentrated sweet dessert wine made from semi-dried grapes
Podere (poh dae’ rae) — a small estate, property
Poggio (po’ zho) — a hillock
Produttore (pro due tor’ ray) — producer
Recioto (ree cho’ toe) — made with partially-dried grapes, similar to Passito.
Riserva (ree zerv’ ah) — aged for a specified time before release
Rosato (row zah’ toe) — rose
Rosso (roh’ so) — red
Secco (sek’ coh) — dry
Spumante (spoo mahn’ tae) — sparkling sweet wine
Superiore (su pee rio’ ree) — an (unofficial) quality distinction referring to a higher alcohol level than versions of the same wine
Tenuta (tay new’ tah) — farm or estate
Vendemmia (ven dame’ me ah) — harvest or vintage
Vigna, Vigneto (veen ya’, veen yet’ toe) — vineyard
Vin Santo (vin san’ toe) — a category of sweet dessert wine made from semi-dried grapes.
Wine classifications are also indicated on wine labels. The Italians have strict controls on their wines with regulations to ensure origin, inherent quality, and authenticity. The four classifications of Italian wine are:
Vino da Tavola (vee’ noh da tav’ oh lah) — table wine. These wines do not specify the grape variety, vintage or place of origin on their label. They are the wines that do not fit into any other category. They do not conform to DOC regulations on grape types or vinification techniques.
DOC — Denominazione di Origine Controllata (dae no mee naht zee oh’ nae dee oh ree’ gee nae con trol lah’ tah), literally controlled denomination of area. Signifies an area in which the wine must be produced and also places some controls on grape varieties, color, aroma, flavor, alcohol content, acidity and/or period of aging.
DOCG — Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita (dae no mee naht zee oh’ nae dee oh ree’ gee nae con trol lah’ tah ae gah ren tee’ tah), literally controlled denomination of area and guaranteed. The premier classification. In addition to the DOC standards, DOCG wines generally have lower yield requirements and must pass a taste test by a tasting panel and in-depth chemical analyses before bottling.
IGT — Indicazione Geografica Tipica (in dae caht zee oh’ nae gee oh’ graf’ e cah tee’ pee ca), literally typical geographic indicator. Indicates wines that are produced in a specific area and that use approved grape varieties, but is not as strict as DOC with regard to color, flavor and yield requirements.
For information about scheduling a wine tasting event for you or your organization, contact us via email at winetasting@WineWordsWisdom.com.