Term (also equivocation) for the property of a word to be ambiguous. An example is "dew", which can mean a morning precipitation, a rope or the 19th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the case of grape varieties, similar varieties are sometimes grouped together under one name (homonym), although genotypically they are distinct varieties. Significant examples are Clevner, which is used to name numerous largely unrelated grape varieties, and above all Malvasia, which has well over 50 varieties with this part of its name. Common names were also very common due to the widespread practice of planting different varieties in the vineyard (Gemischter Satz). In contrast to the homonym, the synonym with different names stands for the same term. However, there are also grape variety names that are used for several grape varieties because of a common characteristic. An example for Italy is Pagadebit ("debt payer") for grape varieties with high yields.
For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien