ampelographers believe that the name nosiola is derived from the italian word "nocciola" (hazelnut) which could be a reference to the characteristic toasted hazelnut aromas that varietal examples of nosiola exhibit. it could also be a reference to the grape berries themselves since, unlike most white grape varieties, they don't turn a dark, raisin brown when very mature. another theory is that the name is a corruption of "ociolet" which in the local dialect of the trentino regions means "little eyes" and was associated with the (likely now extinct) 18th-century wine grape uva dall'occhio bianca whose name meant "white eye's grape" and may have been related to nosiola.