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Saignee
Saignee is a French term describing the process of drawing off
surplus liquid from the
fermentation vat after only a short period of contact of the
juice with the grape skins in order to produce a rosé wine from the
free-run juice. |
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Salmanazar
A bottle of 9
litres, or twelve 0.75
litre
bottles. |
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Salty
Tasting term. Sensed by the
taste buds that lie close to the tip of
the tongue, salty is one of the four objective qualities (sourness,
sweetness,
saltiness
and
bitterness) of a dissolved substance as perceived by the sense
of
taste. |
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Screwcap
A screwcap is a type of alternative metal, plastic or rubber cap to
cork wine closure that screws on the neck of a bottle. One popular
brand is the Stelvin cap. |
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Second wine
A term used for chateau-produced wines that aren't the quality
necessary to be bottled under the primary label. Such wines are
generally made from grapes that are either from young vines or below
top quality because of a substandard growing season. |
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Sharp
Synonym for
crisp.
A wine that is too sharp is described as
hard
and
unbalanced with an excessive acid
taste. |
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Simple wine
Simple is used for everyday
straightforward table wines. |
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Smoke, smoky
Refers to wines with the tasting or aroma of smoke. This flavour is contributed by the charred
oakwood
in
barrels. |
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Soft
Tasting term describing wines with low
alcohol,
acid or
tannin content which therefore have little impact on the
palate. |
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Sommelier
French term referring to a restaurant employee, usually a trained
wine expert, who orders and maintains the wines sold in the
restaurant and usually has extensive knowledge about wine and food
pairings. |
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Sour
Tasting term used for wines having the characteristics of
fermentation or rancidity. Implies presence of
acetic
acid. Close term to
acidity. Sour is one of the four objective qualities (sourness,
sweetness,
saltiness
and
bitterness). |
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Specific Gravity
The specific gravity is the measurement of the
fermenting
must
relative to water density. |
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Spicy
Tasting term used to describe a wine having the flavor, aroma, or
quality of spice. Close term for
peppery. |
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Split
A bottle of 0.375
litres, or a half 0.75
litre
bottle. |
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Spritzy
A tasting term for wine with a tiny degree of pinpoint
effervescence, sometimes from the onset of
a brief secondary
malolactic
fermentation in the bottle. |
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Stoney
Tasting term describing a wine with high
acidity
coupled with a tactile, mouth-filling flavors as if one has a stone
in the mouth. Close term for flinty. |
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Structure
A tasting term referring to the level of
fruit,
tannin and
acidity
in the mouth. |
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Sugar
The biochemical process wherein the grape's natural
sugar is transformed into
alcohol
by
yeast in the production during
fermentation. |
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Sugar ripeness
This term is used in winemaking when the grapes reach a sufficient
level of
sugar for processing the
alcoholic fermentation. |
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Sturdy Tasting term used to describe a
vigorous or
robust wine. |
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Sulphur
Sulphur is a prophylactic for
oidium,
but it can also be used to stop
fermentation. |
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Sur lie
This is a French term to describe wines that have been lying on its
lees
before
racking.
This winemaking method intends to add extra
richness and flavour to the wine. |
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Sulfites
Sulfites (also sulphite) are compounds that are often used as preservatives in wines to prevent
spoilage and
oxidation. |
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Sulphur dioxide
A chemical compound used in winemaking as a preservative. |
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Supple
Tasting term to describe wines which are
lively and quite
easy
as a suggestion of good quality. |
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Sweet, sweetness
Sweet is one of the four objective qualities (sourness,
sweetness,
saltiness
and
bitterness) of a dissolved substance as perceived by the sense
of
taste. Sweetness
is a tasting term which generally denotes the
presence of
residual sugar or
glycerin
in the wine. |
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More about the
grape varietals
and
the Bordeaux wine region
Winemega's
tasting notes by chateau
Tasting tips: a sommeliere writes about
advanced wine topics
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