Glossary

Saignée

The process of extracting part of the juice from the vat at the beginning of fermentation in order to produce Rosé and Clairet wines.

Salmanazar

A bottle that contains nine litres, or the equivalent of twelve bottles of 750 mL.

Sauvignon

White Bordeaux grape variety that produces very aromatic wines.

Sémillon

A white Bordeaux grape variety widely planted in the regions where sweet wines are produced.

Severe

Describes wine that is hard and does not have any bouquet.

Short (Court)

Describes wine that does not leave any lasting flavour in the mouth (1 to 2 caudalies - see definition). Also called a wine with a short finish.

Sickly sweet (Mielleux)

Describes sweet wine that has an excess of sugar and lacks acidity. In French the word is "mielleux", which means honey-like due to the high sugar content.

Silky (Soyeux)

Describes a supple, soft smooth wine with fine, velvety tannins.

Smooth (Onctueux)

Describes a pleasant sweet and generous wine in the mouth, giving a soft feeling that can even seem sweet. Dry white wines can be smooth as opposed to lively.

Solid

Describes well-made wine with good structure.

Sour (Piqué)

Describes wine that has developed notes of vinegar. This is an increasingly rare fault due to improved hygiene and control of bacteria during vinification.

Spicy (Épicé)

Describes wine with spice notes: pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, etc. For fine Bordeaux wines, this aspect is reinforced during ageing.

Stabilisation

A term that includes all of the treatments to improve the longevity of wine, which are done by an oenologist.

Stale (Éventé)

Describes wine that has lost part or all of its bouquet due to oxidisation.

Stamping (Étampage)

Marking corks, barrels or cases using a branding iron.

Staves (Merrain)

Oak that has been cut and which is used to make barrels. The origin of the staves impacts the style of the wine.

Stem (Rafle)

Describes the woody part of the bunch of grapes that are separated from the grapes before fermentation. Stems produce harsh, green tannins that are incompatible with the elegance of Bordeaux wines.

Still (Tranquille)

Describes wine, once fermentation is complete and no more carbonic gas bubbles appear at its surface. More generally describes wine that is not effervescent.

Sting (Piqûre)

Stinging taste in wine caused by acetic acid. (Synonym: acescence)

Straightforward (Droit de goût)

Describes wine that does not leave any aftertaste that would indicate a fault in the wine. Frank is another term that can be used in this context.

Structure (1) (Charpenté)

A wine has structure when it has a good constitution, is rich and tannic, as opposed to being weak and diluted. Well structured wines generally have a good potential for bottle ageing.

Structure (2)

Describes the structure and overall composition of a wine.

Substantial (Étoffé)

Describes full-bodied wine with substance.

Sulfite treatment (Sulfitage)

A carefully controlled procedure whereby a specific amount of sulphur gas (SO₂) is added to the must or wine to prevent bacterial infections during the vinification or ageing process.

Supple (Souple)

Describes a light wine that is more sweet than astringent, and is generally to be enjoyed young. Results from a short period of cuvaison.

Sweet (Liquoreux)

Describes white wine that contains a high level of residual sugar (unfermented sugar). Sweet wines are very voluptuous in the mouth, almost thick. Sweet wines from Bordeaux (vins blancs d’Or de Bordeaux) are some of the most renowned in the world and offer an exceptional level of sweetness and aromatic strength.

Sweetish (Douceâtre)

Describes wine that is not acidic enough and much too sweet.