Terms Flashcards
Common and esoteric terms used for Italian wines
Classico
The historic area of production within a denomination.
Appassimento
A traditional process of drying grapes after harvest.
Originally done on straw mats, now carried out in climate controlled rooms.
Ripasso
A style of wine where the must of passito wines are added to a fully fermented still wine to initiate a second fermentation. The resulting wine has higher alcohol levels, richer body, and generally more complexity while remaining still.
Rive
A classification of higher quality wine from Conegliano-Valdobbiadene DOCG specified by the town or area where the wine comes from.
Menzione Geografica Aggiuntive (MeGA)
The delineated vineyards (“place-names”) of a denomination. They were historically owned by single proprietors.
All of the grapes must be from the vineyard in order for it to be used on the label.
Vendemmia Tardiva
Late Harvest
Superiore
A higher quality of wine with higher ABV usually made from riper grapes and possibly extended aging
Frizzante
Semi-sparkling
1-2.5 atm, 14.7-37 psi
Spumante
Sparkling
3+ atm, 44+ psi
Riserva
A wine that is withheld for additional aging
Recioto
A sweet unfortified wine made using appassimento grapes.
Popular examples are Recioto della Valpolicella, Recioto di Soave, and Recioto di Gambellara.
Ricasoli Formula
The standard recipe for Chianti created by Bettino Ricasoli in the mid 19th Century.
Original
70% Sangiovese, 15% Canaiolo, 10% Malvasia (later also Trebbiano), 5% OAG
1967 DOC Regulation
70% Sangiovese, 10-30% Malvasia and/or Trebbiano
Botte
Barrles used to age wine that are typically made of wood. Usually 200 liters or more. The traditional Barolo botte is 500 liters.
Caratelli
Typically small format wood barrels (50 liters) used to age Vin Santo. They can range from 50-250 liters.
Tino
A large vertical cask of variable size.
Autoclave
A pressurized tank commonly used in the Martinotti/Charmat (Tank) Method of sparkling wine production.
Some can regulate pressure through an automatic release valve.
Annata
Vintage or Year
Barile
A small wine barrel, typically wood, that is usually 50 liters
Biodinamica
Biodynamic
Bollicine
Bubbles
as in sparkling wines
Botrizzato
Botrytized
affected by noble rot
Muffa Nobile
Noble Rot
Botrytis Cinerea
Cantina
Cellar, Winery
Cantina Sociale
Cooperative Winery
Cascina
Farmhouse or rural wine estate
Cavatappi
Corkscrew
Chiaretto
Claret
A rosé wine between deep rosé and light red in color.
Colle
Hill, plural Colli
Collina
Little hill, plural Colline
Cooperativo
Wine Cooperative
Denominazione
Denomination, Appellation, or Place Name
Denominazione d’Origine Controllata
The lowest level of Italy’s protected designations of origin (PDO)
Denominazione d’Origine Controllata e Garantita
The highest level of Italy’s protected designations of origin (PDO) and the highest quality level overall
Indicazione Geografica Tipica
Italy’s equivalent of the Protected Geographic Indication
Dosaggio
Dosage
Enoteca
Wine shop or wine bar
Fattoria
Farm, farmhouse, or rural wine estate
Fecce, Feccia
Sediment from the winemaking process
Fillossera
Phylloxera
Lieviti
Yeast (plural), Lees
Liquoroso
Fortified
Macerazione
Maceration
Macerazione Carbonica
Carbonic Maceration
Metodo Charmat, Metodo Martinotti
Tank Method
(sparkling wine)
The wine undergoes a single fermentation in a sealed tank that retains carbon dioxide.
Metodo Classico
Classic Method. Also known as the Traditional Method.
(sparkling wine)
The wine undergoes a single fermentation in a tank or barrel and then a second fermentation in the bottle in which it is sold.
Metodo Tradizionale
Traditional Method. Also known as the Classic Method.
(sparkling wine)
The wine undergoes a single fermentation in a tank or barrel and then a second fermentation in the bottle in which it is sold.
Metodo Ancestrale
Ancestral Method
(sparkling wine)
The wine is bottled before its first fermentation has finished and continues to ferment in the bottle.
Millesimato
Vintage, usually for sparkling wines
Used only for select years
Novello
A light bodied red wine made for release soon after harvest
Do not confuse with the comune of Barolo DOCG
Ossidato
Oxidized
Passito
A wine made with grapes dried by the appassimento method
The grapes produced by the appasimento method
Podere
Farm, rural wine estate
Polifenoli
Polyphenols
Produttore
Producer
Qualità
Quality
Quercia
Oak
Resa
Yield
Bianco
White, as in wine
Rosato
Pink or rosè, as in wine wine
Rosso
Red, as in wine
Solfato
Sulfate, plural Solfati
Talento
A wine made with Chardonnay, Pinot Bianco, and/or Pinot Nero by the traditional method, 15 months of lees contact, and in a brut or drier style.
Tannino
Tannin, plural Tannini
Tenuta
Estate
Terreno
Terrain
Tranquillo
Still, not effervescent
Uva
Grape
Uvaggio
Blend of grapes
Vecchia
Old
Vendemmia
Harvest
Vigna
Vineyard, plural Vigne
Vinificiazione
Vinification, winemaking
Vin Santo
“Holy Wine”
A traditional style in Toscana made with exceptionally sweet dried grapes that undergo a long, slow fermentation in sealed barrels
Vite
Vine, plural Viti
Vitigno
Varietal
Zucchero
Sugar
Zuccheri Residui
Residual sugars
Azienda Agricola
A wine estate that grows its own grapes and produces its own wines
Azienda Vinicola
A winemaking firm that buys most of all of its grapes from growers
Governo Method
A method of ensuring fermentation and enriching wine in Chianti that reportedly began in the mid 14th Century.
Partially dried grapes are added during fermentation if the yeast stalls.
The practice spread from Toscana to Marche and Umbria but is less common today due to the use of stainless steel and temperature controlled fermentation vessels.
