amabile
Today's #PdG: Friendly or smooth?
Today’s Parola del Giorno is the adjective amàbile,1 which — when discussing wine — can mean sweet or smooth.
A wine is amabile when its sugar levels are between 12-45 grams per liter and leaves just a hint of sweetness in your mouth.
A wine is considered sweet when the sugar levels exceed 45 grams per liter, typically dessert wines.
According to the wine glossary that I found online, wines can be (going from less sugar to more sugar):
secco (dry) -> abboccato (smooth) -> amàbile -> dolce (sweet) -> stucchèvole (sugary)
I vini che produce tuo nonno sono proprio buoni. C’è un rosso che mi piace molto, è proprio un vino amabile!
The wines your grandfather makes are really good. There is a red that I like a lot, it is a smooth wine.
Some dictionaries might list abboccato and amabile as synonyms, but according to wine producers, this is an error. Un vino abboccato has less sugar than un vino amabile.
It can also mean friendly or lovable when talking about people.