Glossary Flashcards
Abboccato
Medium Dry Wine (1.2% or 12g/L of sugar)
Alberata
Ancient vine training
Vines trained on or between trees - “married to the tree”
alberate or vite maritata all’albero
Alberello
Vines allowed to grow as free-standing, low bush
Head training or Bush trained
Alberese
Fine grained calcareous marl typical of certain areas in Toscano (eg Chianti Classico)
Amabile
Medium-Sweet Wine (4.5% or 45 g/L of sugar)
Annata
Vintage
Appassimento
Process of drying grapes before vinification
Archetto
Tuscan variation of Guyot
Arele / Graticci
Wooden racks used for air-drying grapes
Baglio
Traditional Sicilian farmhouse (thick walls)
Rectangular shape and oftern has a central courtyard
Biotype
A vine, although genetically identical to another, shows certain level of diversity (morphological, physiological & behavioral) that results of centuries of adaptation to environment
Botrytis Cinerea
Fungus that afffects grapevines
Botti
Large, Neutral old Slovakian oak or chestnut casks
Bud Break
When a bud opens and leaves first appear on the vine in the spring
Byzantines
Eastern Roman Empire
Cabernet
In NE Italy regions, CabSauv and CabFranc can be bottled together and labeled “Cabernet”
Capovolto / Cuppuccina
A varioation of Guyot vine training system
Caratello
Caratelli (plural)
Wood barrel used for Vin Santo
30 - 200 Liters
Made of Chestnut, Oak, Acacia, Juniper or Cherry
Cerasuolo
Abruzzo for Rosato
Chiaretto
A term to indicate Rosato made is specific DOCs
Classico
Wine produced from the original historic winegrowing of a DOCG or DOC
Clone
A vine that is intentionally derived and selected by vegetative propagation from cuttings from a single mother vine (clonal selection) to obtain vines with characteristics identical to those of the mother vine.
Colli
Hills
Colura Promiscua
Coltivazzione Promiscua
Traditional Italian system of polyculture where multiple crops are grown together.
Vines were traditionally grown amongst toerh crops such as olive trees, fruits, vegetables and grains.
Consorzio
Voluntary association of producers, merchants and cooperatives tasked with protecting and promoting the DOC(s) or DOCG(s)
Contrada
Contrade (plural)
Small geographic sub-division within a municipal territory
These are not administrative entities and are somewhat analogous to hamples or neighborhoods
Cordone Speronato
Low training system with permanent cordon of old wood trained horizontally
The spurred cordon is a vine training system that during the winter pruning selects 5, 7 well lignified and positioned shoots from which as many spurs with two, three buds will be obtained. Unlike the Guyot which selects a limited number of spurs, in this pruning the spurs represent the main production phase.
Coulure
Grape Shatter
Poor fruit set, lack of carbs usually caused by cloudy/wet conditions during flowering
Cru
Superior Site
Diurnal
Daily temperature shift between night and day
Disciplinare
Official production rules and guidlines for appellations mandated by Italian law.
Dulce
Sweet wine (4.5% or 45 g/L of sugar)
Dolomite
A mineral containing calcium and magnesium
Doppio Capovolto
A “double” Capovolto
Dosaggio Zero
Non Dosato
Sparkling wine made without dosage
Downy Mildew
(Peronospora)
North American fungal disease that attackes plants in warm & humid weather
Fecce
Lees
Fermo
A still wine
Fiasco
Traditional straw basket bottle used for Chianti
Fortified
Wine that goes through the process of fortification by adding apirit tostop fermentation and increase final ABV
Frizzante
A semi-sparkling or fizzy wine
Galestro
Metamorphic rock that is crumbly, clay and schist-like with sharp edges and a tendency to flake.
Typically found in Toscana (Chianti Classico and Montalcino)
Geneva Double Curtain (GDC)
A high training system
Glacial Moraine
Accumulation of rocks and sediment carried and deposited by glaciers
Governo
- Governo all’uso toscano*
- Governo toscano*
- Governo alla toscano*
Traditional Tuscan practice whereby a small portion of grapes was left to desiccate then used to start a second fermentation within a newly made wine.
Provides more body and alcohol making the wine softer and more approachable.
Encourages MLF
Gray Rot
Malignant form of Botrytis cinerea