Wine Glossary
Intensity of a wine's colour.
Unpleasant smell and taste reminiscent of the herbaceous parts of the vine (leaf, stalk, green stock, etc.) and characteristic of wines made from unripe grapes.
Solid sediment (especially remains of yeast) that accumulates at the bottom of the tanks after fermentation of a wine. Ageing on lees is a special system in which the wine evolves in conjunction with its lees, giving it some peculiar characteristics. This is the normal ageing system for sparkling wines, but it is also applied to certain still wines. Smelling of lees: The term is used to describe a wine that smells of lees, i.e the yeasty smells and tastes taken on by the wine as a result of being in contact for a long time with its decanted sediments. If these sediments decompose in anaerobiosis, the smell can reach a most disagreeable level.
Wine added to sparkling wine just before it is put on sale. One of its purposes is to adjust the degree of sweetness of the drink.
Spanish wine, usually sweet, produced from appropriate grape varieties with the addition of alcohol. This is the only wine category authorised to have an alcohol content greater than 15% vol. Some mistelas are included in this category of wines. Currently called vino de licor.
Weak wine which can be pleasant but is low on alcohol and extract.
Wine with severe imbalances.
The superlative of clean, transparent, when applied to wine.
See Licoroso.
Spicy aroma which is usually associated with aged red wines that tend to be complex.
Wine which is brilliant in appearance, seemingly producing its own light. This reflects a well-built wine with a youthful touch to the taste, even though it may be an aged wine likely to evolve well in the bottle.
Spanish word that literally translates as "tear" and means a tiny portion of must obtained without any mechanical treatment of the grapes. It flows out spontaneously when the grapes are piled up under special conditions. Also, the name given to wine produced from must obtained in this way and a typical sweet liqueur wine made in the Málaga Denomination of Origin.
