Saignée (France)
This winemaking process involved bleeding off a portion of red wine after only a short period of contact of the juice with the grape skins. Because the colour of red wine is derived from pigments in the skins, the juice is only pink not red. This process is how rosé wines are made, the only exception being Champagne where rosé may also be made by blending red and white wines, although I think the best wines are made by the saignée method. The process may also be used to improve the quality of red wines, as it increases the ratio of skins to juice in the vat, so a more deeply coloured wine may be obtained.

Salmanazar
A large format Champagne bottle, equivalent to twelve standard bottles. See my advisory page on Champagne bottle sizes for more information.

Sauternes
Sauternes is the name of a region in the Graves district of southern Bordeaux, France as well as the namesake of the dessert wine made there. The wine is made by blending semillon, sauvignon blanc and muscadelle grapes, all affected by “noble rot” (botrytis cinerea) that concentrates their sweetness. Sauternes is a smooth, creamy wine with flavors of apricot, peach, pineapple and vanilla. It can be paired with cheeses, desserts, egg dishes and nuts. The classic pairing is with foie gras.

Sauvignon Blanc
An aromatic variety responsible for distinctive whites such as France's Sancerre, California's Fumé Blancs and many of New Zealand's best whites. In cool climates, their aroma is often grassy, herbal and gooseberry-like, but in warmer regions they tend toward tropical scents like passion fruit and pineapple.

Scott Henry
A vine training method. More details may be found in my advisory feature on vine training.

Screwcaps
The new alternative to sealing a wine with cork which, in case you hadn't realised, is tree bark. Another alternative is to use a synthetic cork. Why? Because cork, being a biological material, cannot be sterilised, and the fungal infections it harbours result in tainted ('corked') aromas which ruin about (figures vary) 5% of all bottles. One popular brand is the Stelvin. For more information see my information pages on corks and screwcaps and faulty wines. I keep a record of corked wines experienced, mainly because it is so annoying.

Sec (France)
This term describes a dry wine.

Second Label or Wine
A concept that started in Bordeaux but is now used in many winemaking regions. After the winery has made its first wine using the best grapes, it produces the second wine from grapes that may be less ripe or grown in less prestigious vineyards. This wine is less expensive and can usually be consumed earlier than the first wine.

Sediment
The small particles in wine from the grape skins, seeds, and other grape particles. Sediment often settles at the bottom of the bottle and should be left behind when pouring or decanting as it tastes bitter.

Semillon
Often blended with Sauvignon Blanc. In Bordeaux, this grape makes good dry whites as well as the famous dessert wine, Sauternes. In Australia's Hunter Valley, it produces dry, long-lived whites that develop a honey, nutty character with age.

Smart Dyson
A vine training method. More details may be found in my advisory feature on vine training.

Soft
The mellowness found in either a mature wine or a young wine with low tannins and acids.

Solera (Spain)
Primarily a method employed in the production of Sherry, the solera system may also be found in use in Languedoc-Roussillon and anywhere else involved in the production of fortified wines such as Madeira, Marsala and Rutherglen (Australia). Barrels of wine are arranged in a vertical system, at least three barrels high. The lowest barrels contain the oldest wine. As this is drawn off for bottling and sale, each barrel is topped up with younger wine from the barrel above. In the uppermost barrel the latest vintage enters the system, keeping it fully topped up.

Sparkling wine
Wine which bubbles when poured into a glass. The bubbles form because a certain amount of carbon dioxide, dissolved in the wine, is held under pressure until the bottle is unstoppered. This results in its fizziness. It is an important and growing category of wine.

Steely
Steely wines are high in acidity, well-balanced and firmly structured. These wines are often described as taut or lean.

Spätlese (Germany, Austria)
A Prädikat classification based on must weight.

Specific Gravity
The density of any substance, such as fermenting must, relative to the density of water. Measuring specific gravity provides information about the must weight. My article on must weight in my Sweet Wine series gives more information.

Spinning cone
Another term used to describe a centrifuge.

Spur pruning
A method of pruning vines. More details may be found in my advice page on vine pruning techniques.

Stemmy
A stemmy wine results from leaving the grapes in contact with the stems too long during fermentation. It will taste harsh, bitter and astringent. These wines are also referred to as “stalky” or “green.”

Structure
Structure refers to the interplay and balance among the following characteristics in wine: flavor, acidity, alcohol and tannin. (Tannin is often less a factor in white wines, especially those that aren’t aged in oak.) If one of these elements dominates, the wine is not well-structured. However, when these elements are balanced with each other, the wine has good structure. It will likely age well for years, as each element develops in proportion and knits together with the others.

Sweet
Generally, this depicts a wine with high sugar content. Desirable for ice wines and other dessert wines. The sweetness should be balanced by acidity and alcohol to be good.

Sugar
A large collection of organic compounds present in grapes as a result of photosynthesis. Sugar is the substrate utilised by yeast in the production of alcohol, a process known as fermentation.

Sugar ripeness
When the grapes reach a certain sugar concentration, sufficient for alcoholic fermentation and meeting the demands of the winemaker, this is sugar ripeness. It is distinct from physiological ripeness which involves other aspects of grape maturity.

Sulphur
This is an important element in winemaking, with a wide variety of uses, often as part of the compound sulphur dioxide. It is widely used in the vineyard as a prophylactic for Oidium, whereas in the winery it may be used as a disinfectant in between vintages, and may be added to must and finished wines as an antibacterial agent to prevent spoilage. It may also be used in winemaking as a method of terminating fermentation. Excessive use may result in an unpleasant mothball or burnt match aroma from the wine. See my advice page on faulty wine for more information.

Sur lie (France)
This term describes a wine that has been allowed to lie on its lees for some time before being racked off. The intention is to add extra richness and flavour to the wine.

Süssreserve (Germany)
Unfermented grape juice which may be added to wines of QbA classification in order to increase the sugar content. The addition of süssreserve is not permitted for QmP wines.

Synthetic closure
The posh phrase for plastic cork. The intention is to prevent cork taint. For more information see my information pages on corks and screwcaps and faulty wines

Syrah/shiraz
A popular, intensely flavoured grape that's notable in Rhone, France. It's also famous in Australia and is grown increasingly around the world. Often bold and velvety with black pepper, smoky ripe berry and meaty notes.

Szamoridni (Hungary)
A Tokay Szamoridni is one where no distinction has been made between healthy and nobly rotten grapes. They are all fermented together, and as the proportion of the latter grapes is usually small the wines are most commonly dry.