So you've decided to go on an Italian vacation. And as a wine aficionado, of course you're excited to taste the many delicious vintages grown from Tuscany to Veneto! The most authentic wine tastings in Italy are organized and guided by natives, so allow us to help you prepare by sharing some Italian wine terminology you may hear or see on a wine label. Check out our Italian Wine Tasting Dictionary.
Terms You May Find on Italian Wine Labels
-
Annata - Vintage
-
Bianco - White
-
Bilanciato - Balanced, refers to wines with many well combined harmonic elements
-
Complesso - Complex, refers to wines with many combined aromas
-
Forte - Strong wine with high alcohol content
-
Fresco - Fresh, with no defective aromas
-
Imbottigliato - Bottled
-
Leggero - Light, referring to low alcohol content
-
Liquoroso - Strong, often fortified, wine
-
Maturo - Mature, ripe and completely developed wine, ready for consumption
-
Nobile - Noble, defines a balanced wine, attributed to important vintage
-
Rosato - Rose’
-
Rosso - Red
-
Spumante - Sparkling wine
-
Stravecchio - Very old
-
Sviluppato - Developed, mature, pleasant
-
Vecchio - Old
-
Vino Novello - New wine, bottled less than a year
Terms To Describe The Wine's Flavor and Structure
-
Abboccato - slightly sweet
-
Acerbo - Tart
-
Amabile - off dry (semi-sweet)
-
Amaro - bitter (usually in a bad way)
-
Asciutto - bone dry
-
Dolce - sweet
-
Fruttoso - Fruity taste of fruit and fresh grapes
-
Noce - Nutty, defines wines that taste like walnut or have a nut-like aroma
-
Profondo - Deep, a wine with many layers of flavor
-
Robusto - Robust, refers to a full bodied wine
-
Secco - dry
-
Semisecco - off dry, medium sweet. Mainly used when referring to sparkling wines mainly
-
Vellutato - Velvety, refers to a smooth aroma
-
Vigoroso - Vigorous, defines wines with a forward taste
-
Vivace - "lively", used to refer to the slight sparkle in some wines
Of course, these are just a few of the many Italian words you can hear at wine tastings in Italy. Get familiar with these so you can be prepared next time you go to Italy. We can help you plan a dream wine trip to Italy. We have expertise in Tuscany, Veneto and Piemonte regions and can take care of all of the details so all you have to do is pack and enjoy the wine and food. Just request a consultation to get started.
