Italian words used in describing wine and their english meanings:

annoso - aged
bianco - white
frizzante - semi-sparkling
liquoroso - liqueur-like
normale - normal, standard
novello - a wine made to be sold very young; c.f. the French nouveau, as in Beaujolais nouveau
passito - a rich dessert wine, where the grapes (often Moscato) are left to dry before being pressed, thus increasing the sugar content of the must
riserva - reserve: a higher quality version of the wine, often with a greater alcoholic content and a protracted period of ageing
rosato - rosé
rosso - red
spumante - fully sparkling
spumante metodo classico - a sparkling wine produced in a manner similar to the Méthode Champenoise
spumante naturale - again a wine in which the bubbles are a result of fermentation, rather than added carbon dioxide
superiore - superior; may indicate a grade between the standard wine and the riserva, or may indicate a more restricted sub-region of the apellation
tranquillo - calm, tranquil; i.e. still rather than sparkling
vendemmia - grape harvest
vendemmia tardiva - late harvest
vivace - lively; i.e. somewhat sparkling, but less so than frizzante

"List of Italian DOC Wines." Wikipedia (accessed 10/16/2009)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Italian_DOC_wines