Wine Labels And Words from Italy, Spain and France and where to learn about wines

Upcoming Sommelier Course

Federica, Vice President of the the UK Sommelier Association who were adding their expertise at the Zonin1821 Portfolio tasting 2026, told us that there will be a sommelier course in April including pairing wine and food.

I have compiled a handy glossary ready for the next time I try new wines from new bottles, new labels, to read on websites and when I go to buy, 

Handy Glossary of Wine Words

Translation Of Wine Label Words into English

altemura - high wall, possibly a fortified house, mansion or castle

atelier - studio or workroom of an artist or designer (not attic which in Spanish is atico)

Asti - placename in Italy

bianco - white

blanc - white (French)

brut (French) - dry

brut nature - naturally dry, no sugar added at the end to the dosage in the bottle

Burgundy - place name in France

Castello - castle

Castello di Albola - the maker's name

Champagne - place name in France, and the Champagne method

Chianti (place name in Italy)

Chianti Classico - wine from the Chianti region using  San Giovese grape variety

Classico - classic

del - of the

di - of (Italian)

doppia - double (as in coffee)

gris (grey in British English gray in American English a pinkish grey grape, not dark nor greenish white)

Manduria - a place name

Monin - family name from Italy. They still have their family wine production on north Italy, but have grown to a worldwide company, with one of their headquarters in London, managing and promoting labels and wines from Italy, France, Lebanon, Chile, South Africa, New Zealand and other countries.  

nero - black (Italian), dark (red wine)

noir - black (French)

Primitivo - the Italian name for the grape known elsewhere as Zinfandel. Lots of it comes from the heel of Italy.

prinicipi - Italian, the i ending is plural

rosado - rosé in Spanish

rosato - rosé in Italian

Santo - saint

Sasseo - Wine label name from the Italian word for stone 

Sasseo Primitivo di Manduria - uses the zinfandel grape

Vin - wine

Vino da tavola - Italian for vine of the table, table wine, basic everyday wine, or weekday wine

IGT stands for Indicazione  Geografica Protetta, the Italian version of  IGP which is French for indication géographique protégée (IGP), indication of quality, meaning wine from protected geography, a level below an appellation (named region), but wine still grown and made in a specific area. Their place. Their grapes. Their style. 

portfolio - collection

sommelier - (French) wine waiter, wine steward, butler, wine specialist in a restaurant who advises customers on which wine to order, within their budget, to match their tastes, or to match their food. Originally the person in charge of beats of burden transporting heavy containers of wine.

Spritz

What is a spritz or spritzer? I thought it was a mixture of lemonade and soda and alcohol. Wikipedia enlightened me.

en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Spritz_(cocktail)

Spritz (cocktail) - Wikipedia

A spritz is a Venetian wine-based cocktail, commonly served as an apéritif across Italy. It consists of Prosecco, a mixer (usually soda water), and a flavouring ingredient, which can be a bitter liqueur, ...

The UK Sommelier Association in central London is active in wine education, involving many events throughout the year. Sommeliers are known as the gatekeepers and advocates, sometimes buyers, sometimes sellers, enthusiasts admiring the old, and excited by the new.

Useful Websites

https://vinopedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

https://winopedia.weebly.com/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_label

https://www.decanter.com/learn/italian-wine-labels-understanding-docg-doc-igt-439719/

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