Italian-English wine glossary

Updated October 28, 2021.

ITALIAN ENGLISH
a giropoggio vines planted across a slope (along the contour of the slope; compare with a ritocchino)
a ritocchino vines planted up and down a slope (from peak to valley; compare with a giropoggio)
acciaio (inossidabile) stainless-steel (vat/tank)
acinellatura millerandage (shot berries, hens and chicks, or pumpkins and peas)
affinamento aging
alberello head-trained bush vines
allegagione fruit set
allevamento training
apice vegetativo shoot tip
appassimento raisining/drying (of the grapes)
argilla clay
arresto di fermentazione stuck fermentation
assemblaggio blend
azoto nitrogen
barbatella rooted cutting/bench graft
barrique barrique (small French oak cask)
bâtonnage stirring on the lees
biodinamica biodynamics/biodynamic
biologico organic
botte traditional large cask
bucce skins
Cabernet (Sauvignon) Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc
calcare/calcareo limestone/calcareous (limestone-rich)
capo a frutto fruit cane
cappello sommerso submerged cap maceration
chioma canopy
chiusura grappolo bunch closure
cimatura hedging
cocciniglia mealybug
cordone cordon
cordone speronato permanent cordon (cordon-trained spur-pruned vines)
criomacerazione cold soak
cru vineyard designation/single vineyard
cuvée blend
délestage rack and return
diradamento dei grappoli pruning/thinning grapes/dropping fruit/green harvest
diradamento di germogli shoot thinning
diraspare/diraspatrice de-stem/de-stemmer
diserbante termico weed torch/weed flamer
DOC DOC (designation of controlled origin)
DOCG DOCG (designation of controlled and guaranteed origin)
DOP PDO (protected designation of origin)
doppio capovolto double-arched cane (training)
drenaggio drainage
esca esca (black dead arm or black measles)
escursione termica diurnal shift (temperature variation)
femminella lateral shoot
fermentazione arrestata stuck fermentation
filare row
filtro a cartone plate filter (pad filter)
fioretta film yeast/surface yeast/mycoderma
flavescenza dorata grapevine yellows (flavescence dorée)
follatura punching down
forma di allevamento training system/trellis system
galestro galestro (a marl- and limestone-rich subsoil unique to Tuscany)
gemma bud
gemma dormiente, gemma d’inverno dormant bud
germogliamento budbreak/budburst
giropoggio vines planted across a slope (along the contour of the slope; compare with a ritocchino)
grappa grappa
grappolo cluster/bunch
grappolo spargolo loosely clustered grape bunch
Guyot Guyot
IGP PGI (protected geographical indication)
IGT IGT (typical geographical indication)
inerbimento sward management of the soil
innesto graft
interfila inter-row
invaiatura veraison
lievito naturale native/ambient/indigenous/wild yeast
lievito selezionato cultured yeast
limo silt
macchia mediterranea Mediterranean maquis (shrubland)
maestrale (vento di maestrale) north-westerly wind
malolattica malolactic fermentation
marna/marne marl
marza scion
maturazione ripening
monovitigno single-grape variety (wine)
mosto must
oidio oidium (powdery mildew)
pedicello pedicel
peduncolo stem (peduncle)
pergola pergola/overhead trellis system
peronospora peronospora (downy mildew)
pied de cuve pied de cuve (native yeast starter)
pigiatura crush/crushing
pirodiserbatore weed torch/weed flamer
pirodiserbo weed torching
pollone sucker
portinnesto rootstock
pressa press
pressare to press
quercia oak
rachide rachis
raspo stem
rimontaggio pumping over
ritocchino vines planted up and down a slope (from peak to valley, as it were; compare with a giropoggio)
sabbia/sabbioso sand/sandy (sandy soil)
Sauvignon (Blanc) Sauvignon Blanc
scacchiatura shoot-thinning
scheletro very fine gravel
seme seed
sfogliatura leaf plucking
sgemmatura disbudding
siccità drought/drought conditions
sistema di allevamento training/trellis system
sottofila under-row
sottosuolo subsoil
sovescio cover crop/green manure
sovramaturazione over-ripening
spalliera (vigneto a spalliera) vertical shoot positioning of the shoots (VSP)
spargolo (grappolo spargolo) loosely clustered (grape bunch)
sperone spur
spollonatura disbudding and suckering/de-suckering
stralciatura shoot-thinning
stress idrico hydric stress
sulle bucce skin contact (macerated on the skins)
sulle fecce nobili lees aged (aged on its lees)
sur lie lees aged (aged on its lees)
svinatura racking (devatting, drawing off)
terreno/terreni soil
tessitura (del suoolo) soil texture
tignola della vite vine moth (Eupoecilia ambiguella) European berry moth
tralcio shoot/cane
tramoggia hopper/feeder
tufo tufaceous subsoil (porous limestone)
vasca vat/tank
vento di maestrale north-westerly wind
vigna/vigne vine/vineyards
vigneto vineyard
vinaccia/vinacce pomace
vinacciolo seed
vino dozzinale plonk
vite vine
viticcio tendril
vitigno grape variety