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Glossary

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aeration
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The repeated pumping of new wine in order to promote its development and its stability in the presence of air.
Alto Adige Lowlands
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Southernmost section of Alto Adige / Südtirol, ranging from Tramin to Salurn. Known in German as the Unterland and Italian as Bassa Atesina.
American rootstock
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Vine rootstock which is resistant to phylloxera and used for grafting.
barrique
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Small wooden barrel generally containing 225 liters (nearly 60 gallons) in which high-quality white and red wines are aged. Most are made from fine-pored French oak, which adds a hint of vanilla to the wine.
Blatterle
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An old grape variety, a mutation of Yellow Muscat, formerly very popular in Alto Adige because of the high yield, now all but died out.
Botrytis (cinerea)
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Desirable as noble rot, because it allows the water in the grapes to evaporate, thus increasing sugar concentrations. But as gray mold, it is nevertheless dangerous with thin-skinned grapes because it destroys the tissue. It is also undesirable with grapes intended for dry wines.
bouquet
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The property of wine to give off a scent that forms its smell.
bung
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Closing stopper of the hole in the barrel.
Burgraviate
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From around Andrian to Algund including downtown Merano, in which in the Middle Ages, the counts of Tirol ruled and exerted princely power. [German: Burggrafenamt, Italian: Burgraviato]
Cabernet Franc
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For many years, the predominant Cabernet grape in Alto Adige, which in recent years has been greatly replaced by Cabernet Sauvignon.
Carménère
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A mutation of Cabernet Franc that was once widespread throughout Alto Adige, only remnants of which are found today. It yields wines that are extremely grassy and taste unripe.
clone
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A grape variety that has been propagated by the grafting of a shoot. The expression is often used for a certain mutation of a grape variety with specific characteristics.
DOC
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Denominazione di origine controllata, the Italian indication of quality wines, meaning “controlled designation of origin”.
eye
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The bud of the grapevine from which the summer shoots develop in the spring.
Fraueler
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Old variety that was previously common in the Val Venosta which produces light white wines with a high acid content, for that reason referred to by the locals as “Reifenbeißer” [“tire biter”].
gleaning
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After the harvest, the search that is generally allowed for individual grapes that were overlooked. Known in South Tyrolean dialect as Spiegeln.
grappa
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grassy
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Flavor tone of many Alto Adige Cabernets; on one hand, designated as “typical” and thus positive; on the other hand, evaluated rather negatively as an indication of unripe grapes.
growth training system
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General term for all forms of support for grapevines.
Guyot
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Low growth training system with a trellis support.
hand-select
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The separation of the grapes from the stems.
IGT
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Indicazione geografica tipica, Italian for "typical geographical indication”: a designation that has been valid since 1995 for the highest category of table wines.
Kretzer
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The conventional name in Alto Adige for the preparation of wine from red grapes according to the process that is common for white grapes. The best-known rosé wine that is produced in this way is the Lagrein Kretzer.
lees
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The yeasty component of the wine that settles to the bottom with secondary fermentation.
maceration
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Phase of the extraction of color, tannic acids, and flavors during the fermentation of the mash.
malolactic fermentation
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Bacterial fermentation in which sharp malic acid is transformed into softer lactic acid. Essential with red wines, and at times also sensible with white wines that have been fermented in small oak casks.
mash
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The grapes that have been crushed and pressed for the preparation of the must.
Passito
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Also known as "straw wine” in English: the process that is widespread in Italy for the production of late-harvest wines. The grapes are dried on straw mats and only pressed after they have more or less shriveled up to a great degree.
PDO
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Protected Designation of Origin – production, processing, and manufacture of a product in a certain geographical area according to a recognized and established process.
pergola
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A traditional growth training system that is still widespread in Alto Adige / Südtirol in which the grapevines are trained to climb up an arching wooden frame. Shoots and vine branches are attached high above the ground and form a canopy. Common above all for Vernatsch (Schiava).
Pinot Blanc
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Also known as Pinot Bianco in Italian, or Weißburgunder or Weißer Burgunder in German.
Pinot Grigio
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Also known as Pinot Gris, or Ruländer or Grauer Burgunder in German.
Pinot Noir
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Also known as“Pinot Nero in Italian, or Blauburgunder or Spätburgunder in German.
pruning
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The trimming of excessive foliage and the removal of unfertile shoots.
residual sugar
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Unfermented fructose.
Riserva
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Designation for wine that has been aged for a longer time in wooden barrels. Regulated by law on a case-by-case basis.
Saltner
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A South Tyrolean term for a watchman in a field or vineyard.
sediment
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Denser substances from the wine that are deposited at the bottom of the bottle.
stabilization
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Maturation of the wine in a wooden barrel or a stainless steel tank.
stainless steel tank
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Container for the fermentation of the must and the stabilization of the wine, generally equipped with the possibility of controlling the temperature.
stem
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The green stalk portions of the grapes.
Strahler
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A South Tyrolean term generally used for a white wine cuvée of varying proportions.
Tafelwein
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Italian term for “table wine”, the lowest category in the pyramid of quality established by European wine legislation. Occasionally used for high-quality wines that do not fit any DOC classification. Table wines may not list a vintage or a grape variety.
tartaric acid
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Salts of potassium and calcium that have crystallized out of the wine.
Törggelen
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A South Tyrolean term generally used for relaxed drinking, particularly in a mountain inn immediately after the first wines have fermented. The Törggl is actually the dialect name for the wine press.
Upper Adige
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Main winegrowing zone in Alto Adige / Südtirol, ranging from Eppan to Kaltern. Known in German as Überetsch and in Italian as Oltradige.
Vernatsch
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The most widely planted grape variety in Alto Adige / Südtirol with different rootstocks. Known in Italian as “Schiava”.
Weimer
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Word in South Tyrolean dialect for grapes.
Wimmen
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A South Tyrolean term generally used for harvesting.
wire-frame trellis
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Modern support for grapevines consisting of three (or four) parallel cables to which the shoots are attached every year. A wire frame trellis allows the vine to produce only limited quantities of grapes.
wooden barrel, large
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Traditional container for the stabilization and/or aging of red and white wines that are found in a variety of sizes, from 1 to 50 hectoliters (from 26 to over 13,000 gallons) and more. Large wooden barrels are used for many years and are flavor-neutral.