Abruzzi:

(Ah-broot-zee): East-central Italy, bordering the Adriatic Sea. Red wine is made from the Montepulciano grape; white is made from the Trebbiano grape. Both are rated DOC.

Amarone:

(Ah-ma-roe-nay): A special type of Valpolicella. Selected grapes are left to dry on racks after picking, resulting in a wine that is fuller and more concentrated.

Apulia:

(Ah-pool-ya): Wine district in southern Italy's 'boot."

Barbaresco:

(Bar-ba-ress-co): Full bodied red wine from the district of Piedmont, Italy; produced from the Nebbiolo grape. Similar to Barolo, except it is lighter and is apt to mature sooner.

Barbara:

(Bar-bear-ah): Red wine grape widely used in northern Italy, especially Piedmont.

Bardolino:

(Bar-do-leen-o): Light red wine produced near Verona, Italy; a blend of Corvina, Rondinella and Molinara grapes. Best when consumed young.

Barolo:

(Ba-roll-lo): From the district of Piedmont, northern Italy; the finest and richest wine produced from the Nebbiolo grape. Under DOC law, Barolo must be aged at least three years prior to release, with at least two years in cask; if aged four years, it is allowed to be called Riserva.

Bianco:

White.

Brix:

Scale used in the US to determine the MUST WEIGHT, or sugar content of ripe grapes.

Brunello
di Montalcino:

(Brew-nel-lo dee Mawn-tal-chee-no): Red wine from Tuscany, Italy. Named for the Brunello grape, a clone or sub-variety of Sangiovese, the wine has a dark, rich color and enough tannin to assure development in the bottle for decades.

Cantina:

(Can-tee-na): Italian for winery or cellar.

Chianti:

(Key-ahn-tee): Famous red wine from the region of Tuscany, Italy. Chianti is unique to a specific, delimited part of Tuscany, extending between the cities of Florence and Siena.

Classico:

Term for wines from a restricted, usually central, area within the limits of a DOC. By implication, and often in practice, the best of the region.

Consorzio:

(Con-sorts-ee-o): Italian agency for an wine region, overseeing the region's wine production and sets standards for quality.

D.O.C.:

Denominazione di Origine Controlla. Italian for "controlled denomination of origin," this refers to the government control over the origin and production of the best Italian wines. The wines bear a government seal stating that the wines have conformed to certain standards. The laws outline production limits, labeling practices and quality inspection procedures.

Dolce:

Sweet.

Dolcetto:

(Dole-chet-toe): Red grape grown in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. Fragrant and fruity, it is usually the quickest to mature of the red Piedmont wines.

Marche:

(Mar-kay): Wine region in east central Italy; the best wine is the white Verdicchio, grown in two DOC regions: Verdicchio di Castelli de Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica.

Montepulciano:

(Mawn-tay-pool-chon-no): Town in southern Tuscany, famous for its fine red wine, Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. Also the name of an unrelated red grape variety grown in the Abruzzi region, used for making the red Montepuliciano di Abruzzo.

Montepulciano di Abruzzo:

(Mawn-tay-pool-chon-no dee Ah-broot-zo): Red wine produced in the Abruzzi region of southern Italy.

Nebbiolo:

(Neb-be-oh-lo): Red wine grape grown in northern Italy, particularly in the region of Piedmont.

Orvieto:

(Orv-yay-toe): White wine produced in the region of Umbria, central Italy.

Dolcetto:

(Dole-chet-toe): Red grape grown in the region of Piedmont, northern Italy. Fragrant and fruity, it is usually the quickest to mature of the red Piedmont wines.

Prosecco:

(Pro-sek-ko): White wine made from the prosecco grape, grown in the province of Treviso in the region of Veneto, northern Italy. A light dry wine, sometimes sparkling or semi-sparkling and occasionally semi-sweet as well.

Riserva:

(Ree-sairv-ah): Italian for "reserve," a special lot of wine that has received additional aging, either in cask or in bottle. Such wines are of superior quality.

Rosso:

(Ross-so): Italian for "red," describing a red wine.

Sardinia:

(Italian: Sardegna): Mountainous island in the Tyrrhenian Sea, about 125 miles off the west coast of Italy. Politically, a part of Italy.

Secco:

(Say-co): Italian for dry.

Soave:

(So-ah-vay): Famous white wine of Italy, produced in the region of Veneto to the east of the city of Verona.

Spumante:

(Spoo-mawn-tay): Italian for "sparkling" or "frothy."

Tenuta:

(Tay-noo-ta): Italian for "estate." A "tenuta vinicola" is a wine estate.

Trentino:

(Tren-tee-no): Region in northeastern Italy, around the city of Trento, noted for its many excellent red wines.

Tuscany:

(Italian: Toscana, pronounced Tos-cahn-na): Region in central Italy, surrounding the city of Florence (Firenze); also one of Italy's most important wine areas. Tuscany is most famous for Chianti; the central part of the Chianti region is called Chianti Classico. Also produced in the Chianti region are Brunello di Montalcino (produced to the south) and the Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Valpantena:

(Val-pon-tay-na): Wine district east of Lake Garda in the region of Veneto, northern Italy. Superior wines from this region are classified as "Valpolicella Valpantena."

Valpolicella:

(Val-po-lee-chel-la): Famous red wine region of Veneto, northern Italy. Valpolicella wine is made primarily from three grape varieties - Corvina, Rondinella, and Molinara.

Veneto:

(Vain-nay-toe): Region in northeastern Italy, including the major cities of Venice, Verona, Vicenza and Pauda (Padova).

Verdicchio:

(Vair-deek-ee-o): Famous white wine from the Marche region in Italy.

Vermentino:

(Vair-men-teen-o): White wine grape planted exclusively in Sardinia.

Vino Santo:

A special type of wine produced in many parts of Italy, especially Tuscany. Often not put in the bottle until its fifth year, it improves with more aging. The wine is lusciously sweet and is produced in limited quantities.