Step One: Learn some key Italian words for "farm". If you can recognize these words on the label, at least you'll know that the preceding or following word is probably the proper name of the farm or vineyard. Common words for farm are "cascina," "fattoria," and "tenuta". "Vigneto" is the word for vineyard, "produttore" is producer, "azienda" is company and "cantina" is winery.

Step Two: Get to know common varieties of Italian grapes. There are more than 2,000 indigenous grapes in Italy, so memorizing them all is a problem. But a few of the more common ones are barbera, catarratto, malvasia, montepulciano, nebbiolo, negro amaro, primitivo, sangiovese (a.k.a. brunello, prugnolo gentile or morellino) and trebbiano.

Step Three: Know the wine regions of Italy. There are 37 wine regions, and these have their own subregions. The more important ones are Tuscany, Piedmont, The Tre Venezie (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto), Apulia, Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Lombardy, Sardinia and Sicily.

Step Four: Memorize these additional Italian words: "riserva" means reserve and indicates that the wine was aged longer than usual; "superiore" means it was made under high standards of production; "classico" usually indicates a well-respected wine (except for Chianti Classico which happens to be a region! - but of course, also well respected); "vecchio" means old; "secco" is dry; "dolce" is sweet; "vendemmia" and "annata" mean vintage; "imbottigliato" means bottled and "invecchiato" means aged.

Step Five: Be familiar with the Italian government's levels of production regulation. "Indicazione Geografica Tipica" (IGT) wines have the fewest regulations of production; "Denominazione d'Origine Controllata" (DOC) is in the middle and "Denominazione d'Origine Controllate e Garantita" (DOCG) is the most highly regulated.

Tips & Warnings

The wine's appellation typically appears just above the quality level on the label.

Remember that type of grape, region, subregion and winemaker aren't necessarily listed on the label. Some Italian wines have developed nicknames over the years, and that name is the only name on the label--and it has nothing to do with the grapes or vineyard.

I hope this doesn't make it any more confusing. The good news is that (like anything else) the more you practice the better you get at deciphering the labels. The side benefit is that you will have fun and will enjoy good wines in the process.

Salute!