|
Sappy: The slightly "stalky" character often found in young wines and usually a sign of potential quality.
Sec: Dry as it applies to wine wine without sweetness. This does not mean there is no fruit; wines with plenty of very ripe fruit can seem so rich they may appear to have some sweetness.
Sekt: A German term for sparkling wine.
Sediment: The harmless solid matter created by wine during fermentation and aging. In the aging process it sometimes forms a deposit on the side or bottom of the bottle. Wines with heavy sedimentation should be decanted before serving.
Sharp: High acid.
Short: A wine that may have a good nose and flavour, but the flavour disappears quickly on the finish.
Skin Contact: Leaving the grape skins in contact with the juice or wine for a period of time is used to extract flavour and colour from grape skins into the grape juice or wine.
Smooth: Opposite to rough, astringent or aggressive. An agreeable and harmonious flavour showing balance on the palate.
Soft: Term describing pleasant smoothness of wines of low astringency. Interchangeable with smooth.
Sour: A disagreeable taste, acid, vinegary, indicating a spoiled, undrinkable wine. Not to be confused with tartness, astringency or dryness.
Sparkling Wine: Wine that undergoes a secondary fermentation in vat.
Spicy: Term used to describe the taste of some wines although no spice has been added to them. A characteristic of traminers.
Stalky: Grape stem taste.
Stable: When wine is in a state in which it will not develop negative characteristics in the bottle, due, for to re-fermentation, premature browning or protein haze.
Still Wine: A non-effervescent wine in which most of the carbon dioxide gas, formed during fermentation, has escaped.
Sulphites: Sulphur based compounds used to protect wine from oxidation and bacterial activity.
Sulphur: Smells of rotten eggs, over sulphuring, bottle sickness.
Sulphur Dioxide: Traditionally used to protect wine from oxidation and bacterial activity.
Supple: A round yet lively wine, easy to drink. Table wine; a wine between 10% - 14% alcohol by volume. It may be red, white or rose, and vinted off-dry.
Sur Lie: Wine is aged in the barrel with the yeast retained, rather than being clarified before aging.
|
