WORD “R”

Racy: describes a wine that appears bright in the glass and is lively on the nose and/or palate.

Rancid: refers to a wine which has been damaged by bacteria and tastes disgusting.

Reduced: this sensation may be perceived when the wine has been deprived of oxygen for a long time. If the wine is of quality it will manage to free itself of this odour.

Rich: used to describe a wine rich in alcohol and/or colour and/or structure.

Robust: said of a wine whose structure is particularly weighty.

Rough-hewn: the opposite of elegant, lacking any qualities.

Rugged: refers to a wine that “scrapes” the tongue due to the presence of tannins which are either unripe or have not yet been mellowed by time.

Rustic: describes a wine that is not elegant, but not necessarily rough or badly made.

 

 WORD “S”

Salty: said of a wine that reveals notes on the palate that are not just savoury, but actually salty. Thus is often the case of wines obtained from grapes grown in vineyards located close to the sea.

Semi-dry: when the sweet flavour of the wine is slightly perceptible.

Short: said of a wine that shows lack of length on the palate and after swallowing disappears, leaving no or little trace.

Silky: describes a wine that leaves a soft, silky sensation on the palate.

Simple: refers to a wine that correctly made but displays no particular qualities of note.

Sinew: a sinewy wine is one whose body is underpinned by dynamic forces that give it character.

Smooth: used of wines that flow over the palate almost as if they were water.

Soft: said of a wine that shows attractive, caressing mouthfeel.

Spicy: describes a wine that displays notes reminiscent of spice.

Spineless: said of a wine lacking sinew, flaccid and weak.

Spirited: denotes a wine which offers a pleasing mouthfeel thanks to acidic brio and vivacity offsetting softness.

Stalky: describes a wine that shows tart and at the same time bitter notes, almost always due to excessive contact with the grape stalks.

Still wine: a wine that contains no carbon dioxide.

Stylish: refers to a wine that shows its quality on the nose and/or palate in terms of elegance and balance.

Subtle: said of a wine that is closed on the palate. Not necessarily a negative trait.

Sugary: describes a wine that is unpleasantly sweet.
Superiore (Superiore): term which indicates a wine with a minimum ABV established by law.
Supple (Scorrevole): said of a wine that flows smoothly across the tongue or other sensitive parts of the oral cavity.
Sweetish (Amabile): describes a wine that tends towards sweetness on the palate, due to the presence of residual sugar.