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Tasting term used to describe wine with sensations ranging from the aroma of freshly sawn wood, to vanilla to cinnamon and toast. These sensations result from ageing in oak casks.

German scale for measuring must‑weight (and ripeness of grapes).

Oily
Tasting term used to describe wine with a rich, slightly oily texture in the mouth.

Oloroso
A style of sherry characterised by a dark colour and a nutty flavour, which comes from lengthy ageing in wood barrels.

Organic
Wines that are made without the use of herbicides, chemical fertilisers or other chemical additives (sulphur dioxide excepted, at least for the present).

Oxidation
Reaction that occurs when wine is exposed to oxygen from the air. Oxidation can be beneficial (occurring slowly during the maturation of wine in a barrel) or disastrous (occurring quickly once a bottle of wine is opened). Too much oxidation spoils the taste of wine, turning the alcohol to acetic acid and ethyl acetate.

Oxidised
Tasting term used to describe wine with a stale, off-flavour caused by excessive oxidation.

Palate
1.   A tasting term used to describe the way a wine tastes and feels in the mouth.
2.   A word used to describe a wine taster’s tasting ability, as in ‘good palate’ or ‘rusty palate’.

Pale Cream Sherry
A sweet sherry style made by sweetening dry fino sherry with sweet grape-juice concentrate.

Palo Cortado
A style of sherry that has a deep amber colour and a nutty flavour, similar to both amontillado sherry and oloroso sherry.

Palomino
This white grape is used to make almost all sherry. It is a rather neutral variety when used to make table wine, but its neutrality doesn't detract from its usefulness as sherry's base wine. The variety is also grown in South Africa, California and Australia.

Parellada
A white grape variety grown in Spain's Penedes region. It is used to make the sparkling cava, as well as the region's still wines.

Passito
Italian term used to describe wines made from the concentrated juice of semi-dried grapes.

Pedro Ximenez
A white grape variety grown in Spain. It is used to make the sweeter sherry styles, as well as the sweet wines made in Spain's Montilla and Malaga zones.

Penetrating
Tasting term used to describe wine with intense aromas and flavours.

Perfumed
Tasting term used to describe wine that is fragrant, scented, often flowery.

Peronospera (also called downy mildew)
Fungus appearing as downy patches on the vine leaves, reducing photosynthesis.

Petillant
French term for a lightly sparkling wine.

Petite Sirah
Despite the name, this red grape variety is not related to the Syrah variety. Mystery surrounds the vine’s origins, although it probably comes from France. The variety has become popular in California where it is often bottled as a single-varietal wine, which often isn’t true Petite Sirah at all. Petite Sirah is also grown in Argentina.

Petit Verdot
One of the classic red grape varieties of Bordeaux. Traditionally, Petit Verdot has been used in small quantities as a blending component to make red Bordeaux. The variety is grown only in small amounts in Bordeaux, but is gaining some popularity in California’s Napa Valley.

The kerosene-like aroma that wines made from Riesling develop as they age. A complimentary term.

The conversion of carbon dioxide and water by plants into usable organic compounds – especially carbohydrates –  using light energy absorbed by the chlorophyll in their leaves.

The most important insect pest of the grapevine. It feeds on the roots of the vine and, in the case of the European Vitis vinifera, will kill it. There is no known way of eradicating the louse, but its effect can be stopped by grafting a Vitis vinifera  scion onto American rootstock. The phylloxera louse decimated Europe’s vineyards in the late 19th century.

Pinot Bianco (also called Pinot Blanc and Weissburgunder)
Pinot Bianco is a widely planted white grape variety that tends to yield a fairly neutral wine with high acidity. The variety probably performs best in Alsace, where it is used to make rich-textured white wines labelled as Pinot Blanc. It is also used to make Alsace's sparkling white Cremant d'Alsace wine. It is best-known in France and Italy, but the variety is also grown in Germany (where it's called Weissburgunder), Austria, Eastern Europe and California.

Pinot Blanc (also called Pinot Bianco and Weissburgunder)
Pinot Blanc is a widely planted white grape variety that tends to yield a fairly neutral wine with high acidity. The variety probably performs best in Alsace, where it is used to make rich-textured white wines labelled as Pinot Blanc. It is also used to make Alsace’s sparkling white Cremant d’Alsace wine. It is best-known in France and Italy, but the variety is also grown in Germany (where it's called Weissburgunder), Austria, Eastern Europe and California.

Pinot Grigio (also called Pinot Gris)
Called Pinot Grigio in Italy and Pinot Gris in France. The Italian version of the grape is often light, fresh and not particularly characterful. Although the variety is grown throughout France, it is in the Alsace region in eastern France where the variety performs best. Here it makes rich, full-flavoured, characterful wines that go very well with a wide range of foods.

Pinot Gris (also called Pinot Grigio)
Called Pinot Gris in France and Pinot Grigio in Italy. The Italian version of the grape is often light, fresh and not particularly characterful. Although the variety is grown throughout France, it is in the Alsace region in eastern France where the variety performs best. Here it makes rich, full-flavoured, characterful wines that go very well with a wide range of foods. Pinot Gris is also gaining favour in many parts of the New World.

Pinot Meunier
A red grape variety that is one of the main grape varieties used to make Champagne. Although not as well-known as the other two Champagne varieties (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir), it is the most widely planted in the region.

Pinot Noir
The great red grape of Burgundy, widely favoured for its finesse and subtlety. Unlike other red varieties, Pinot Noir is very difficult to grow. If the climate is too warm, the wine tastes one-dimensional, like strawberry jam. If it is too cool, the grapes just won’t ripen. The best Pinot Noirs have dazzling complexity, with wild and often weird aromas, and a sensual charm. Unfortunately, owing to the variety’s fickleness, wines made from Pinot Noir can be rather hit and miss.

Pinotage
South Africa’s very own grape variety. Pinotage is a cross between two other red grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It is a versatile grape that can be made in a variety of styles, and is beginning to be grown outside South Africa, albeit in small amounts.

Pipe
Traditional cask used in Portugal’s Douro Valley for port production. Two sizes are recognised, the production, or Douro, pipe of 550 litres and the shipping pipe of 534 litres.

A fortified wine made in the Douro Valley of Portugal. Port is most often red but can be made in a white version. There are numerous styles of port, which vary according to how they are made and matured and when they are bottled.

A fungus that attacks the vine, initially appearing as floury white dust on the leaves and grapes, eventually causing the berries to split open. Also called Oidium tuckerii.

Premier Cru
A term used in France to designate the quality of particular wine-producing chateaux. The term is used in various ways in Bordeaux, Burgundy and Chablis.

Primitivo
Primitivo is the same grape variety as California’s Zinfandel. In its homeland of southern Italy, it is known as Primitivo. In Italy, too, it produces rich, spicy red wines, which can be high in alcohol.

Removal of unwanted parts of the vine, mostly wood that is one year old or less, in order to regulate the yield and control the vine's shape. The main pruning, usually carried out by hand, is done during the vine's dormant period in the winter.

Rack consisting of two hinged boards through which holes have been bored to hold the necks of sparkling-wine bottles during remuage, or ‘riddling’, of the bottles.

German qualitative term used to describe a wine from a specified region and made from specified grape varieties.

QmP
German qualitative term used to describe the highest category of quality wines. Wines are classified according to must-weight. This broad category includes Kabinett, Spatlese, Auslese, Beerenauslese, Trockenbeerenauslese and Eiswein.

Portuguese term for ‘wine estate’.

A winemaking term that refers to the drawing off of clear wine from a cask or vat and moving it to another, thus leaving any sediment behind.

Tasting term used to describe wine with a pungent aroma due to intentional oxidation. Commonly used for some wood-aged fortified wines.

An Italian term used to describe wines that have been made using partially dried grapes.

Hand‑held instrument consisting of a prism and a series of lenses used for gauging the must‑weight of grape juice to assess its ripeness.

Rehoboam
Large-format bottle used in Champagne, equivalent to six 75cl bottles.

Remuage
The process of moving the sediment to the neck of the bottle prior to degorgement in traditional method of sparkling-wine production.

Reserva
Spanish term used to describe wines that have been aged in barrels for a certain minimum period of time.

Unfermented sugar remaining in the wine after bottling. Even dry wines will contain a very small amount.

Retsina
A wine made in the Attica region of Greece. Pine resin is added as part of the winemaking process.

Rich
Tasting term used to describe a wine with a depth and breadth of flavour.

Riesling
Perhaps the world’s most underrated white grape variety. Riesling is capable of making some of the most elegant and long-lived of white wines. Sadly, Riesling is still associated with cheap, poorly made sweet wines, yet it can be made across the sweetness spectrum, from bone-dry styles through medium to sweet styles. Wines made from Riesling have high acidity, which makes them refreshing and long-lived. Aged Rieslings develop an interesting aroma reminiscent of diesel or petrol. Rieslings from the New World, particularly Australia, are helping to popularise the variety among younger drinkers.

Riserva
Italian term used to indicate wines of a higher than average quality.

Rkatsiteli
Although not many wine-lovers have heard of this Russian red grape, it is one of the most widely planted varieties in the world. It is still planted throughout the former Soviet Union, including Bulgaria and Moldova.

Tasting term used to describe wine that is full-bodied and sturdy. Usually used for red wines.

Phylloxera-resistant or -tolerant vine with some American parentage onto which a Vitis vinifera scion is grafted.

Rosado
Spanish and Portuguese term for rose wine.

Rosato
Italian term for rose wine.

Rosso
Italian term for red wine.

Rough
Tasting term used to describe a wine that is coarse, basic.

Round
Tasting term used to describe a wine with no hard ‘edges’, with a smooth, often ripe, character.

Roussanne
A white variety grown in France’s Rhone and Languedoc-Roussillon regions. It is often used with the Marsanne grape to make the white wines of the Rhone. The variety is valued for its aromatic quality.

Ruby Cabernet
The Ruby Cabernet variety is the result of crossing two other red grape varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon and Carignan. Although the variety was widely grown in California in the 1960s, its popularity has faded since then and it is now seldom found in top-flight wines.

Ruby Port
A simple style of port designed for early drinking. It is released at about three years of age and doesn’t require decanting.

Saint-Laurent (also Sankt Laurent)
One of the most important red grape varieties of Austria. Wines made from the variety tend to be fruity and low in tannin and are generally very drinkable. The variety is also grown in eastern France, Germany and Eastern Europe.

Salmanazar
Large-format bottle used in Champagne, equivalent to twelve 75cl bottles.

Sangiovese
A classic red grape of Italy, and the principal variety in such famous wines as Chianti, Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile de Montepulciano. At its worst, Sangiovese can be toughly tannic and astringent in flavour. It also has a tendency to be high in alcohol in hot vintages. At its best, it makes a rich, powerful wine that ages well. It is believed to be native to Tuscany; in recent years the grape has been finding favour in California. In fact, some critics are predicting that it will be the next big cult wine in the US.

Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is one of those grapes that is instantly recognisable after just a very quick sniff. You’ll almost certainly get aromas of gooseberry, fresh-cut grass and elderflower, as well as asparagus - even cats’ litter trays. It is a variety you either love or hate. Its zingy, assertive freshness makes it a great aperitif, but it can be aggressive, too, and is essentially one-dimensional. Sauvignon Blanc doesn’t age as well as, say, Riesling, Semillon or Chardonnay.

Sec
French term for ‘dry’; confusingly, this term is also used to describe Champagnes that have more sweetness than brut styles have.

Secco
Italian term for ‘dry’; when applied to sparkling wines, it means off-dry.

Semi-Secco
Italian term for ‘off-dry’.

Semi-Seco
Spanish term for ‘medium-dry’.

Semillon
Semillon is the main white grape variety in Bordeaux. It is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc to make the dry white wine of the region and the luscious dessert wines of Bordeaux, of which Sauternes is the most famous example. Outside France, Semillon has not proved as popular as either Chardonnay or Sauvignon Blanc, although it has earned itself an enviable reputation in Australia. Wines made from Semillon tend to have high acidity and can be aged for long periods of time.

Sharp
Tasting term used to describe wine with a sharp, acid flavour. More commonly used for white wines that may need more time to develop.

Shiraz (also known as Syrah)
 Very popular red grape variety from Australia. Wines made from Shiraz contain rich, meaty, spice-laden flavours and aromas and can also be quite high in alcohol. The most famous Australian Shiraz is Penfold’s Grange. In France, the Shiraz grape is used in the Rhone Valley to make wonderful, complex, flavoursome wines (best-known examples are Hermitage and Cote-Rotie). It is an adaptable variety that likes a warm climate, as in the Rhone or its Australian spiritual home, the Barossa and Hunter Valleys. Warm climates make for deeply coloured, long-lasting wines with character and complexity. In cooler climates or in cooler years the wines tend to be paler and less tannic, with a pronounced pepperiness.

Tasting term used to describe a wine with no aftertaste (a sign of poor quality).

Silky
Tasting term used to describe wine with a smooth, elegant texture (indicates a high-quality wine).

Tasting term used to describe wine that is drinkable but not distinctive.

Sin Crianza
Spanish term used to describe wines designed to be drunk young, with little or no oak ageing.

Single-Quinta Port
A category of port made from grapes (usually from a single estate) in a single year. Similar to Vintage port, but with a shorter period of ageing in bottle.

Smooth
Tasting term used to describe the texture of a wine. Indicates a balance of tannin and acidity.

Tasting term used to describe wine with the subtle aroma of wood-smoke. Commonly used for some good-quality white wines made from Chardonnay as well as some good-quality red wines made from Pinot Noir, Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon.

Tasting term used to describe wine with soft, mellow flavours.

System of fractional blending used in the production of sherry and some Madeira wine, wherein older wine is ‘refreshed’ by the addition of younger wine.

Tasting term used to describe a wine with much substance and full body. Most often used to describe red or fortified wines.

Sour
Tasting term used to describe a wine that is too acidic or vinegary.

A qualitative term used in Germany and Austria to describe wines made from late-picked (and thus riper) grapes.

Tasting term used to describe wine with the flavours or fresh or dried spices, such as pepper or nutmeg. Commonly used for wines made from Syrah or aged in oak casks.

Tasting term used to describe wine that makes your tongue prickle. Caused by carbon dioxide in young, light-bodied wines.

Italian term for ‘sparkling wine’.

A short cane of one‑year‑old wood with two or three buds.

Stalky
Tasting term used to describe wine with a sappy, bitter aroma that tastes of stalks and stems. Commonly used for young, raw red wines.

Steely
Tasting term used to describe wine with a firm, sinewy character. Commonly used to describe young French wines that are high in acidity and wines made from Riesling, as well as some Chablis.

Stewed
Tasting term used to describe wine that is coarse and may have been made with over-ripe grapes or gone through a too-hot fermentation.

Stringy
Tasting term used to describe wine that has a thin, mean flavour.

Structure
Tasting term used to describe the balance and strength of the basic elements, such as acidity, tannin, fruit, alcohol, and sugar.

Sulphur dioxide (SO2)
Highly reactive and pungent gas that is used in winemaking as an antioxidant and antiseptic. May be added to wines and grape musts as gas, in the form of metabisulphite (solid) or produced in an empty cask by burning a sulphur candle.

Sussreserve
Unfermented, sterile grape must added to dry wine prior to bottling to increase sweetness and balance excess acidity.

Tasting term used to describe wine with a round and smooth texture and flavour. Wines described as supple are generally those in which the tannins are soft, rather than harsh.

French term used to describe wines that have been matured on their lees (dead yeast cells). Such wines often have a biscuitty, bready flavour and aroma.

Tasting term used to describe wine with a pungent, leathery aroma. Commonly used for wines made from Syrah.

Tasting term used to describe white wines with a high level of sugar, or some red wines which may have rich, ripe fruit flavours.

Very popular red grape variety grown widely in France and Australia. Wines made from Syrah contain rich, meaty, spice-laden flavours and aromas and can also be quite high in alcohol. In France, the Syrah grape is used in the Rhone Valley to make wonderful, complex, flavoursome wines (best-known examples are Hermitage and Cote-Rotie). It is an adaptable variety that likes a warm climate, as in the Rhone or its Australian spiritual home, the Barossa and Hunter Valleys. Warm climates make for deeply coloured, long-lasting wines with character and complexity. In cooler climates or in cooler years the wines tend to be paler and less tannic, with a pronounced pepperiness.

Chemicals used to combat fungal diseases of the vine by being absorbed into its tissues rather than remaining on the surface.