S

sack - Old English, Shakespearean era, word for sherry.

saignée - French - Meaning literally "bled", this is a technique wherein a certain amount of free-run juice is drawn from crushed red grapes after a brief maceration to produce a rosé wine and/or to concentrate the remaining juice.

sake - A rice wine originally from Japan, but now made with some success in California and other parts of the world. Ranging from colourless to pale straw and from very dry to sweet, sake is usually between 12 and 16% alcohol and is traditionally served warm in flasks then poured into small porcelain cups.

Salmanazar - Large bottle used in Champagne and Burgundy equivalent to 12 standard bottles (9 litres, 2.38 US gal, 1.98 UK gal). See also half-bottle, magnum, Jéroboam, Rehoboam, Methuselah and Nebuchadnezzar.

Sangiovese - A v. vinfera species of grape

sangria or sangría - Spanish - A summer beverage, originating in Spain, made of red wine sweetened and flavoured with citrus or other fruit and served over ice. Soda water, various liqueurs or brandy are sometimes added.

Sauvignon Blanc - A vitis vinfera species of grape. The famous white grape of the Sancerre region of France as well as New Zealand. Sauvignon blanc also grows in Bordeaux (where it is usually blended with semillon), South Africa, and in California and Washington state. Its wonderfully wild, untamed flavors are often reminiscent of grass, herbs, green tea and limes, often overlaid with a smokiness. In California, sauvignon blanc can also take on green fig and white melon flavors.

Schaumwein - German - Sparkling wine. See Sekt.

Scuppernong - One of the two major classes of native American grapes.

sec - French - Dry.

secco - Italian - Dry.

seco - Spanish - Dry.

seco - Portuguese - Dry.

secondary fermentation - A fermentation that takes place after the normal initial fermentation. Most often associated with sparkling wines produced by means of the méthode champenoise, secondary fermentation is sometimes induced for other reasons, as in the case of malolactic fermentation.

sediment - Solid matter that has settled in the bottom of a container of wine, whether it be bottle, fermentation tank or storage vessel. When it occurs in bottles of fine, aged red wine, sediment is not a result of poor filtration but is a natural part of the maturation process as phenolic compounds like tannins polymerize to the point where they can no longer remain suspended in the wine. Mature vintage port is an example of a wine that will invariably contain sediment, and like all such wines should be handled carefully and decanted prior to serving.

Sekt - German - Sparkling wine. The bulk of Sekt produced in Germany is uncomplicated and relatively sweet, made from cheap imported wines by means of the Charmat method. Wine labelled "Deutscher Sekt", however, must contain only wine from grapes grown in Germany and very often is made using the superior méthode champenoise.

Selection de Grains Nobles - French - The highest designation for the wines of Alsace based, like the German system, on grape ripeness. These late-harvest wines are rich, sweet and botrytis-affected.

Semillon - One of the primary white wine grapes of the Bordeaux area.

Sercial - Grape variety used in, and subsequently a type of, madeira.

Setubal - An area located south of Lisbon (Portugal) that produces fortified wines from Muscat of Alexandria. The wines are aged in large vats and small barres for 5 or 6 years, resulting in a deep golden wine capable of aging for many years.

sherry - A fortified wine from Spain's Jerez de la Frontera region, or, more loosely, a wine of this style. The word is an anglicization of "Jerez". Wine has been produced in the region for 3000 years. Of the various fortified wines, sherry has the potential to be among the driest because it is fortified after fermentation is complete. The two primary types of sherry, pale-coloured fino and dark Oloroso are both dry wines. Sweeter variations are made in a number of ways, from simply adding colouring and sweetening agents, to blending with specially-made very sweet wines. See also Amontillado, flor, Manzanilla, Oloroso and solera.

Shiraz - see Syrah.

short - In winetasting, refers to a lack of persistence in a wine's finish. The opposite term is, naturally, "long". A long finish is a hallmark of a good wine.

soft - a term for the taste of a wine which is low in acidity, flavor, body and which tastes somewhat sweet.

soil acidity - Soil is said to be acidic if its pH value is below 7, alkaline if its value is above. The acidity or alkalinity of soil can have a profound effect on wine and play a large role in determining the suitability of a plot of land for vine growing.

solera - Spanish - A system employed in the production of Spanish sherry whereby older and younger wines are blended to achieve consistency of style and, in the case of fino sherry, to rejuvenate the flor yeast that would otherwise die out.

sommelier - French - A specialized waiter responsible for serving wine, as well as offering advice on specific wines and food and wine combinations. During the the 1960s, the sommelier, meant as waiter specialized in table wine service, didn’t exist yet in our country and in others like France he seemed to be gradually disappearing. Now in Italy this job is acquiring more and more importance, thanks to the introduction of D.O.C. wines (Denomination of Controlled Origin) and to the European consumer’s growing interest in oenogastronomy. The sommelier’s typical tools are:

The corkscrew: A professional corkscrew must be light, not cumbersome, easy to hold and fast to use. A good corkscrew must have a spiral or "worm" with large thread, flat in the upper part and rounded in the lower part, furrowed in the centre by a groove that allows a greater hold in the cork.

The "taste-vin" or "tate-vin": This is a kind of glass tube used to suck the wine from a barrel when broaching is impossible. A little flat cup in which you can examine the wine to drink. Sommeliers wear it around their neck hanging from a chain.

sour - The taste sensation of acid. Not to be confused with bitter, which is the taste of some tannins.

soutirage - French - Racking.

sparkling wine - A type of wine, usually white, that is effervescent with bubbles of carbon dioxide gas which sparkle as they rise to the surface. While champagne is the best-known, sparkling wines are produced in almost every wine region in the world. They are generally at their best when made by the méthode champenoise, acquiring their sparkle through a secondary fermentation inside a sealed bottle which prevents the gas from escaping. Inferior versions may be made by carbonation, the injection of carbon dioxide gas into the wine. There are many styles of sparkling wine and these vary greatly both in sweetness and in the amount of effervescence. Sparkling wines in France are called mousseux for fully sparkling, pétillant for lightly sparkling, and perlant for very lightly sparkling. The Italian equivalents are spumante, frizzante and frizzantino. Crémant is another type of sparkling wine from France, while the predominant sparkling wine from Italy is spumante, from Germany Sekt, and from Spain cava. See also Charmat method.

Spätlese - German - A Qualitätswein mit Prädikat category of German white wines, as described by German wine law. Its name means "late harvest", and the grapes must be picked later than the grapes for Kabinett, though they need not have as high a sugar content as the grapes for Auslese and above. See also Beerenauslese and Trockenbeerenauslese.

specific gravity - A system for measuring the density of a substance compared to the density of an equivalent volume of water, which is given a specific gravity of 1. Sugars, tannins and other substances in wine serve to raise its specific gravity, while alcohol, which is less dense than water, lowers it. Most often, wine densities are measured according to the Brix, Baumé or Oechsle scales. See also must weight.

spicey (spicy) - Tasting term to describe a wine which tastes as if it had spices added during production. Gewurztraminer is the wine variety which is most often referred to as spicy. b- Smell or taste sensation reminiscent of spices. The Gewurztraminer flavor is naturally spicey, especially when grown in cool climates

spitting - When wine is tasted solely to be analyzed and evaluated it is often preferable not to swallow it. Swallowing adds nothing to the flavour of the wine and if many different wines are to be judged would only serve to impair the taster's senses. At most organized tastings -- where frequently dozens of wines are tasted -- there will generally be spittoons or similar facilities provided.

spritzig - German - Semi-sparkling. Equal to the French word pétillant and the Italian frizzante.

spumante - Italian - Sparkling wine. Italy produces a wide range of sparkling wines from many grape varieties, none more famous than Asti Spumante from the north west, made from the Moscato Bianco grape. The great Champagne grapes -- Chardonnay and Pinot Noir -- are used in some regions as well as Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, the ubiquitous Trebbiano and others. Many of Italy's sparkling wines are made by means of bottle fermentation, like champagne, and are labelled "metodo classico", but the Charmat method is also widely used. Spumantes are made in red, white and rosé styles and range from bone dry to very sweet.

stalky - Describes the bitter flavour that sometimes appears in wine that has spent too much time in contact with grape stems during maceration.

still wine - Any wine that is not sparkling wine, that is, wine without effervescence.

structure - In winetasting, refers to the way the essential flavour components of sugar, alcohol, tannins, acidity and possibly fruit and extract relate and balance. A poorly structured wine will be lacking in one or more of these areas.

Stück - German - A large barrel used in the Rhine region of Germany.

stuck fermentation - A fermentation that stops prematurely before the desired amount of sugar has been converted to alcohol, usually the result of excessive heat, but also can be caused by excessive sugar or insufficient nitrogen. A stuck fermentation is frequently difficult or impossible to restart, but modern winemaking techniques help avert the problem.

sugar - Occurs naturally in wine grapes, primarily in the forms of glucose and fructose (which are the chemical components of sucrose, common table sugar). Sugar is a vital ingredient in the making of wine, being processed by yeast during fermentation into alcohol and carbon dioxide. To augment the sugar naturally present in grape juice, additional sugar is sometimes required during winemaking in order to increase sweetness or alcohol content. See also chaptalization, dosage, enrichment, must weight and sweet reserve.

Sugaring - Called "chaptalization" in France and most other countries, sugaring in the addition of common sugar to fermenting grape juice or must for the purpose of raising the eventual alcohol content in the wine. Illegal in some states, sugaring is usually needed only in very cool climates (or very cool vintages) in which the fruit fails to achieve full ripeness naturally.

sulphites, sulfites - The salts or esters of sulphurous acid including sulphur dioxide. The term "contains sulfites" is required on U.S. wine labels for wine with more than 10 parts per million of sulphur dioxide or other sulphites.

sulphur dioxide - A chemical compound with a long history in the making of wine. Its purposes range from inhibiting bacteria and wild strains of yeast and helping prevent oxidation to brightening the colour of red wines. So useful is it that almost no wine is made without it and its use dates back to Roman times. In recent years there has been some concern about the health risks associated with it, particularly for asthmatics, and the U.S. and Australia now require warning labels on wines containing the chemical. The U.S. label must read "contains sulfites" if the wine has more than 10 parts per million of sulphur dioxide or other sulphites, while the Australian label must mention the presence of either sulphur dioxide or Preservative 220. Because of health concerns most regions have strict controls on the amount of sulphur dioxide in wine and some winemakers are trying to eliminate its addition altogether.

super second - A term used among fanciers of top level red Bordeaux referring to those deuxième cru châteaux (according to the 1855 classification) that consistently rate as high as some premiers crus. Château Ducru-Beaucaillou and Château Cos d'Estournel are two that are frequently included in this group.

super-Tuscan - Refers to a group of wines from Tuscany produced by some very ambitious winemakers who have elected to break with the regional guidelines as set out by the DOC and instead create fine wines incorporating non-traditional methods and grape varieties. Tignanello and Sassicaia marked the audacious beginning of this trend when they were released in 1974. These wines, like many super Tuscans, incorporate Cabernet sauvignon and are made in the style of the great red wines of Bordeaux. Since then there have appeared many others, both red and white, including Ornellaia, Masseto and Flaccianello. Although these wines are some of the finest made in Italy, and among the most sought after, because of their unconventional grape composition and vinification most do not bear the highest classification of Italian wine, the DOCG. As a result, many great wines fell into the Vino da Tavola class, which was intended for only basic, everyday wine. In an effort to regain control, the Italian government instituted a new class for its wines, the IGT, in 1992. To hasten the adoption of this new classification they went so far as to outlaw the inclusion of vintage and varietal information on Vino da Tavola labels. Critics feel that such measures are misguided and what is really needed is a system flexible enough to allow for changes in an evolving industry.

supple - A nebulous tasting term most often associated with young, potentially long-lived reds, that implies pleasing texture and good structure with tannins that are not overbearing.

sur lie - French - Meaning "on the lees", this term refers to the winemaking practice of leaving wine -- usually white wine -- in contact with the lees after fermentation. Lees contact is inherent in the making of bottle fermented sparkling wines, but is also employed with some still wines -- particularly Muscadet from the Loire -- to add flavour and complexity to the wine. These wines often take on a very slight effervescence. See also autolysis.

Süssreserve - German - Sweet reserve. This practice of back-blending used to be more common in Germany before drier wines became the fashion.

Sweet pomace - Solid grape residue after the juice is drained off, but prior to fermentation. Primarily composed of skins, stems and seeds.

sweet reserve - Grape juice or grape concentrate that is held in reserve to add to fully-fermented wine. See back-blending.

Syrah (Shiraz) - The classic red grape of the northern Rhone Valley of France and also grown throughout southern France, syrah is also the leading grape of Australia (where it is known as shiraz). In the late 1980s and 1990s, California vintners also became increasingly fascinated by the grape which is now grown in many parts of California. The wine often has an unmistakable whiff of white pepper along with wild gamey, boysenberry flavors.

szamorodni - Hungarian - Meaning "as it grows", this refers to wine -- particularly Tokay -- that is made from less than 50% aszú, or botrytis-affected grapes which have been harvested normally rather than by selection. Szamorodni may be dry to medium sweet depending on the proportion of botrytis-affected grapes.

szaras - Hungarian - Dry.