T

Taglio: Field Blend
It used to be a common practice to intersperse complementary grapevines in a vineyard; when all the grapes are harvested together, the resulting wine is often referred to as a field blend. Examples include many of the old Sonoma Zinfandel vineyards (such as Ridge Lytton Springs) where Petite Sirah was commonly planted with Zinfandel.

Tannico: tannic, astringent
The "puckerish" quality of high tannin content, which has the effect of drying out the mouth. Many young red wines are astringent because of tannin.

Tappo (sapore): cork taint

Tartarico: Tartaric acid
One of a number of naturally occurring grape acids which contribute to the acidity of a wine. Other important acids include acetic, malic, lactic, citric and carbonic acid.

Termovinificazione: temperature control

Terreno: terroir (France)
There is much discussion of terroir, a French term which has no simple translation into English. It refers to the external influences on the ripening grapes, including the soils (depth and type), bedrock, exposure to sun and wind, water table and so on. Others include rootstock (really an intrinsic part of the vine, even if it is grafted) and local climate (undoubtedly an influence on the vine, but I feel separate from terroir). For more on terroir read about my visit to Ch?teau Pierre- Bise.

Tino: vat  

Tostato: Toasty
A tasting term. Toasty means literally means just that - smelling or tasting of toast. It may reflect 'toasting' of the barrels, when they may be placed around a fire (sometimes as they are made), the flames altering the physical and chemical composition of the surface of the wood, and subsequently this will have a significant effect on the flavour of the wine.