Q - T
RACKING: The practice of moving wine by hose from one container to another, leaving sediment behind; for aeration or clarification.
RAISINY: Having the taste of raisins from ultra-ripe or overripe grapes; can be pleasant in small doses in some wines.
RAW: Young and undeveloped. A good descriptor of barrel samples of red wine. Raw wines are often tannic and high in alcohol or acidity.
REDUCED: Commonly used to describe a wine that has not been exposed to air.
REHOBOAM: Oversized bottle equivalent to 4.5 liters or six regular bottles.
RESIDUAL SUGAR: Unfermented grape sugar in a finished wine.
RICH: Wines with generous, full, pleasant flavors, usually sweet and round in nature, are described as rich. In dry wines, richness may be supplied by high alcohol and glycerin, by complex flavors and by an oaky vanilla character. Decidedly sweet wines are also described as rich when the sweetness is backed up by fruity, ripe flavors.
ROBUST: Means full-bodied, intense and vigorous, perhaps a bit overblown.
ROUND: Describes a texture that is smooth, not coarse or tannic.
RUSTIC: Describes wines made by old-fashioned methods or tasting like wines made in an earlier era. Can be a positive quality in distinctive wines that require aging. Can also be a negative quality when used to describe a young, earthy wine that should be fresh and fruity.
SALMANAZAR: An oversized bottle holding 9 liters, the equivalent of 12 regular bottles.
SMOKY:
Usually an oak barrel byproduct, a smoky quality can add flavor and aromatic
complexity to wines.
SOFT: Describes wines low in acid or tannin (sometimes both), making for easy drinking. Opposite of hard.
SPICY: A descriptor for many wines, indicating the presence of spice flavors such as anise, cinnamon, cloves, mint and pepper which are often present in complex wines.
STALE: Wines that have lost their fresh, youthful qualities are called stale. Opposite of fresh.
STALKY: Smells and tastes of grape stems or has leaf- or hay-like aromas.
STEMMY:Wines fermented too long with the grape stems may develop this quality: an unpleasant and often dominant stemmy aroma and green astringency.
STRUCTURE: The interaction of elements such as acid, tannin, glycerin, alcohol and body as it relates to a wine's texture and mouthfeel. Usually preceded by a modifier, as in "firm structure" or "lacking in structure."
SUBTLE: Describes delicate wines with finesse, or flavors that are understated rather than full-blown and overt. A positive characteristic.
SUPPLE: Describes texture, mostly with reds, as it relates to tannin, body and oak. A positive characteristic.
SUR LIE: Wines aged sur lie (French for "on the lees") are kept in contact with the dead yeast cells and are not racked or otherwise filtered. This is mainly done for whites, to enrich them (it is a normal part of fermenting red wine, and so is not noted). Originated in Burgundy, with Chardonnay. Popular in Muscadet, Alsace, Germany (Riesling and Pinot Gris) and California. Adds complexity to Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc; can occasionally be overdone and lead to a leesy flavor that is off-putting.
TANKY: Describes dull, dank qualities that show up in wines aged too long in tanks.
TANNIN: The mouth-puckering substance--found mostly in red wines--that is derived primarily from grape skins, seeds and stems, but also from oak barrels. Tannin acts as a natural preservative that helps wine age and develop.
TART: Sharp-tasting because of acidity. Occasionally used as a synonym for acidic.
TARTARIC ACID: The principal acid in wine.
TARTRATES: Harmless crystals of potassium bitartrate that may form in cask or bottle (often on the cork) from the tartaric acid naturally present in wine.
THIN: Lacking body and depth.
TIGHT: Describes a wine's structure, concentration and body, as in a "tightly wound" wine. Closed or compact are similar terms.
TINNY: Metallic tasting.
TIRED: Limp, feeble, lackluster.
TOASTY: Describes a flavor derived from the oak barrels in which wines are aged. Also, a character that sometimes develops in sparkling wines.