Wine terminology Q - Z
-- Q --
Quaffing
Drinking with purpose. See "glugger". This is what you would do with a case of gluggers!
-- R --
Reductive
A word associated with a "skunky" smell on a wine. This smell is of sulphur compounds such as hydrogen sulphide that should subside with aeration. Try decanting the wine and waving it around.
Residual Sugar
The remaining sugar in a wine that accounts for its degree of sweetness.
Rubber
A sulphurous nose if too strong, but can actually be an attribute of some cheaper New World reds, or Italian Dolceffos.
-- S --
Sediment
The solids found at the bottom of some old red wines.
Silky
Very smooth on the palate.
Sinewy
A lack of juicy fruit character, exposing the acidity and tannin elements of a red wine.
Smoky
In reds, smokiness can be found on a range of wines, particularly Shiraz, Nebbiolo, Mourvèdre and Grenache. In whites it is only really used for Pouilly-Fume. See “Flinty” above.
Spicy
Regularly making it into our tasting notes, spicy means just that. Often countering a fruity flavour, a herbal spiciness on whites and a dried-spice character on reds is common and welcome.
Spittoon
The correct term for the bucket that you spit into.
Spritz
A gentle prickle of fizz on the palate. Found on young whites.
Structure
The physical framework on which a wine's flavours are hung.
Sulphur
Similar to the smell of a "struck-match", sulphur is detectable on the nose, but should disappear when the wine comes into contact with air.
Sulphur Dioxide
Used as a preservative in finished wine and labelled as "Preservative 220 on the bottle."
Supple
A lush, round style of wine with no obvious, hard acidity or tannin.
-- T --
Tannin
The bitter, astringent flavour that is found in grape skins, seed and stalks as well as oak barrels, that thankfully softens as red wines age. Tannins give rise to a "drying" sensation in the mouth and a harsh feel on the inside of the cheeks.
Tartrates
The harmless crystals that are deposited during winemaking and occasionally form in bottles of wines. In our opinion, the appearance of tartrates in a white wine is a good sign as it means the wine has not been filtered - a process which means the wine inevitably loses some of its flavour.
TCA
The full name is "2,4,6-trichloroanisole", the unpleasant, musty smelling compound that gives rise to cork taint in wine.
Terroir
A French word that rolls all of a particular vineyard's attributes such as micro-climate, soil, drainage, altitude, aspect, exposure and slope into one beguiling term.
Toasty
The nose associated with oak-aged wines, on account of the insides of the barrels being charred or toasted.
-- U --
Ullage
The space between the top of the wine and the bottom of the cork in a bottle of wine.
Unctuous
Intense, oily character usually associated with sweet wines.
Unfiltered
Just that, a wine that is not filtered. More likely to throw a sediment and may, in time, require decanting.
-- V --
Vanilla
An aroma resulting from oak ageing, particularly in American oak.
Varietal
A wine that displays textbook grape variety characteristics.
Vegetal
A word that groups together various vegetable smells and tastes, mostly with reference to red wines. Not always derogatory.
Velvety
The smoothest and most luxurious of textures on the palate. Merlot, Pinot Noir and other sensuous red varieties can achieve this character if they are of the finest quality.
Vigneron
A French vineyard worker.
Volatile
Acidity (VA) Acetic acid, that in certain concentrations gives an off-putting vinegary smell. This is usually brought about as a result of shoddy winemaking.
-- W --
Woody
A general term for oaky wine.
-- Y --
Yeast
The "agent" that transforms the sugar in grape juice into alcohol and C02 via the process of fermentation. Yeast is naturally found on grape skins or can be added by the winemaker in a process called "inoculation".
Yeasty
The fresh-baked bread nose found on Champagne and other white wines mainly using Chardonnay.
-- Z --
Zesty
A citrus taste associated with acidity and also with some white grape varieties like Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon.