Glossary of Tasting Wine(R-S)

Racy: Describes a wine with pleasantly high acidity and bright flavors.

Rancio: Tasting term used to describe the rather pungent smell of intentionally oxidised wines, such as wood-aged fortified wines and older vins doux naturels.

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: Tasting and winemaking term used to indicate a wine that has developed a dirty smell reminiscent of rotten eggs. Before bottling this can usually be remedied by aeration of addition of copper. When it develops in bottle, vigorous aeration sometimes removes the reduced smell.

Residual sugar: Sugar remaining in a wine after fermentation and once it is ready for bottling. The level of residual sugar determines whether the wine will be dry, medium dry, sweet, etc, though even the driest wines contain a little residual sugar. Adds sweetness and body. 

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.

Rough: Describes the drying, furry mouthfeel associated with higher levels of tannins and course tannins. 

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. 

Salty: One of the basic tastes. Mainly due to mineral salts. 

Sediment: As red wines age, color pigments and tannins bond together and fall out of solution, producing natural sediment. While the sediment is not harmful, it tastes bitter and adversely affects the wine’s mouthfeel. Sediment is most frequently found in older (10+ years) darker red wines, which typically have more color pigments and tannins such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux and Port. Rarely will lighter reds like Pinot Noir throw sediment.

Sharp: Tasting term used to indicate an acidic or bitter taste. Usually uncomplimentary. 

Short: Tasting term used to indicate a wine with little aftertaste. See also length. 

Silky: Tasting term used to indicate a voluptuous, smooth texture in the mouth.

Smoke, Smoky: Tasting term used to indicate the smell of wood smoke on the nose. Desirable if it is not overpowering. 

Soft: Tasting term, usually complimentary, indicating a wine with a mellow, unaggressive character. Also used to qualify fruit and tannin.

Sour-sweet, sweet-sour: The taste of a wine which contains excess acid and is at the same time sweet. Sometimes due to the presence of mannitol and lactic acid formed by bacteria.

Spicy: A descriptor for many wines, indicating the presence of spice flavors such as anise, cinnamon, cloves, mint and pepper. Red Zinfandel and Côte du Rhone often described as spicy.

Spoiled, unsound: Term applied to wine showing some evidence of spoilage.

Stained wine: A white wine which has acquired a pink tint through being placed in casks which previously held red wine. Wine made from grapes with white juice and colored skins, containing trace amounts of anthocyanins.

Stale: Wines that have lost their fresh, youthful qualities are called stale. Opposite of fresh. 

Stalky or Stemmy: Describes an unpleasant greenness and astringency from overlong contact with the grape stems or the use of underripe grapes . 

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. 

Sulphur taste: Taste of wine containing excess of SO2.

Supple: Tasting term indicating a soft, easy-drinking wine, with no sharp or bitter flavours.

Sweaty: Tasting term used to indicate a pungent, leathery aroma. Some tasters like this in New World Shiraz, for example, but others regard it as a fault.

Sweet: Tasting term used to indicate a wine with a significant level of residual sugar, or possibly a dry wine with rich, ripe fruit giving an impression of sweetness.