P

palate - In the world of wine this refers to the taste of a wine, or a person's winetasting skill.

passerillage - French - A technique whereby grapes are left on the vines to overripen and dry (without noble rot), concentrating the sugar and resulting in a rich, sweet wine.

passito - Italian An Italian wine made from dried grapes, and the technique for making it. Similar to the French passerillage.

Pasteur - Louis Pasteur, the "father of modern winemaking and pasteurized milk. He correctly identified yeasts as the causative organisms for fermentation and developed a heat process (Pasteurization) for stabilizing wine, milk and other liquid foods from spoilage.

pasteurization - Named for 19th century French scientist Louis Pasteur who discovered the process, it is a method of using heat to kill bacteria that would otherwise spoil wine or other foods. While effective, it tends to have a detrimental effect on the flavour and ageing potential of wine and so is seldom used for fine wine. Flash pasteurization is a less severe variation that is widely used.

pectic enzyme - a natural chemical that helps break down fruit and aids in juice extraction. It also prevents cloudy pectin hazes in wines.

peppery - Said of a wine with the aroma of black pepper. Common with wine made from the Syrah grape and some vintage port.

perfume, perfumed - Can refer simply to the smell of a wine, but usually denotes an intense varietal aroma.

perlant - French - A wine that is very slightly sparkling.

Perlwein - German - Slightly sparkling wine.

pétillant - French - Lightly sparkling wine. Between perlant and mousseux. Term describing a wine which is noticeably sparkling or bubbly with CO2 -- but which is less carbonated than champagne.

Petit Château - French - A Bordeaux term referring not to the acreage of a château but to its fame and the price of its wine. These are the thousands of properties throughout Bordeaux that are not Crus Classés and are relatively unknown. Many of them produce excellent wines however, and bargain hunters can find treasures at a fraction of the cost of their more illustrious neighbours.

petrol, petroleum, petrolly - Not a bad quality when said of the singular bouquet of many fine Reislings.

pH - A scale for measuring acidity. A value of 7 indicates a neutral solution, neither acid nor alkaline. Acid solutions are below 7, while alkaline solutions are above. Wines are acid and generally fall between 3 and 4 pH.

phenolics - A large group of chemical compounds that include pigments, flavour compounds and tannins. Many are found in grapes -- more profusely in red grapes than in white -- and in greater concentration in the seeds, stems and skins than in the juice and pulp. They are absorbed into wine during fermentation and maceration and play an important role not only in the flavour and colour of the wine but in its ability to age. Wine can also acquire phenolics from oak barrels, adding to their value in the making of fine, long-lasting, complex wines.

phylloxera - An tiny louse that kills grapevines by feeding on their roots. In the 1860s this pest was accidently brought into Europe from America and subsequently nearly wiped out European viticulture. It would be twenty years before the devastating problem was solved and the solution came from America as well. Phylloxera-resistant species of vines were imported and European vines were grafted onto them. Eventually, phylloxera spared very few countries worldwide and as a result, there are almost no wine regions left today where vines have not been altered to resist the pest. Alarmingly, new strains of this insect are continuing to cause problems in many regions, sometimes feeding on rootstock long thought to be safe from it.

pièce - French - An oak barrel used in Burgundy similar in size to the Bordeaux barrique.

Pinot - A family of grape varieties, notably Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Pinot Blanc - One of the white grapes of the pinot family that includes pinot grigio (also white) and the red grapes pinot noir and pinot meunier. While some pinot blanc can be found interspersed with chardonnay in the vineyards of Burgundy, the grape is more renowned in Alsace. In North America, California boasts several top producers of pinot blanc, though the grape is not widely grown. Pinot blanc often has flavors similar to chardonnay, though the wine is generally lighter in body and somewhat more delicate.

Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) - Like Pinot Blanc, one of the white grapes of the pinot family, and like riesling and gewürztraminer, pinot grigio loves cold climates. The most renowned pinot grigios come from the northernmost regions of Italy, especially those regions that border the Alps, as well as Alsace, where it is known as pinot gris or, confusingly, as "tokay." In the U.S., Oregon is emerging as the top state for delicious lively pinot gris' with light almond, lemon and vanilla flavors.

Pinot Noir - One of the most renowned red grapes in the world for its supple silky texture and mesmerizingly earthy flavors. Pinot noir, like riesling, requires a cold climate and in fact, its ancestral home is the cool Burgundy region of France. The grape, which is very difficult to grow and make into wine, is also grown in Oregon and California, but rarely elsewhere.

pipe - From the Portuguese "pipa", this is the traditional large, elongated barrel used in producing port (as well as madeira).

plonk - British slang for cheap, everyday wine.

pomace - A term borrowed from cider making, this refers to the debris left behind after fruit have been pressed for juice. It is equivalent to the French word marc.

port - One of the world's great fortified wines, it is a style that is made in many regions of the world, but authentic port, labelled "Porto", comes from the Douro valley in northern Portugal. The word is derived from Oporto, a city on the coast at the mouth of the river Douro. Like sherry and madeira, port is made in a number of different styles and levels of quality. Though a small amount of white port is produced -- ranging from very sweet to dry -- most port is sweet and red in colour. Ruby is the simplest and least expensive style with a vivid ruby red colour, vigorous, youthful character and a sweet, ripe, fruity flavour. Tawny port takes its name from the brownish tinge that it takes on after extended ageing in wood. In the case of cheaper tawny ports, this colour is frequently acheived by other means such as blending with lighter coloured wines. Both ruby and tawny port are made by blending wines of different vintages. In the best years, port producers may declare the year to be a vintage year and create a very high quality wine from only the grapes of that harvest. Vintage port is the finest type of port, as well as the most expensive, and is usually at its best only after many years of bottle ageing. In its youth, vintage port is a dark, almost opaque red and has strong tannins which mellow with age and result in often quite heavy sediment making decanting a necessity. At its best it is one of the greatest red wines in the world, rich, full and intense with tremendous potential for ageing. Late Bottled Vintage, or LBV, is an attempt to make a wine with the character of vintage port that can be consumed without extensive bottle ageing. While it is made from the grapes of a single harvest, LBV is very often closer in character to simple ruby port than to vintage port. White port is made in essentially the same way as red, but from white grapes. See also lagares.

pourriture noble - French - Meaning "noble rot", this is the French name for the benevolent manifestation of Botyritis cinerea.

powdery mildew - Also known by the French name, oidium, this is a fungal vine disease that has spread worldwide and can cause havoc in a vineyard, drastically reducing yields. It is usually controlled by means of sulphur and lime. Fungal disease of grape vines which, unlike most fungal diseases, thrives in dry climates.

Prädikat - German - Meaning "predication" or "distinction". See Qualitätswein mit Prädikat.

premier cru - French - Meaning "first growth", this is a designation given to a cru that is considered to be of the highest order. In Sauternes and St-Émilion, there is also a higher designation called premier grand cru. In Burgundy, the high status of the premier cru classification is superseded only by that of "grand cru".

press (pressing) - the act of extracting juice from crushed grapes, or pomace, by means of a mechanical device. In modern wine making, pressing is usually done after grapes have already been crushed and destemmed -- generally prior to fermentation for white wine, and after fermentation for red.

press wine - Wine made from juice that is yielded by a wine press. More harsh and astringent than free-run wine, it is often blended into other wine to increase tannins.

primeur - French - "First". See vin primeur or en primeur.

punt - The indentation in the bottom of some wine bottles.

puttonyos - Hungarian - The wooden hods, or vessels, in which botrytis-affected grapes are collected and mashed into a paste for use in aszú wines and by extension a measure of the sweetness shown on the labels of such wines. See Tokay.