Wine Glossary Terms: P

Periquita
A red wine grape grown in southern Portugal. A medium-bodied, fruity wine that is usually a good value.
Petite Syrah
This red wine grape grown in California by many producers is not related to the French Syrah of the Rhone Valley. Its characteristics are deep color, pepperiness, full body, and good aging potential.
Petite Verdot
Red wine grapes grown in Bordeaux and used for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon. Many producers have been abandoning this grape, since it ripens late and sometimes not at all.
phylloxera
An insect that attacks the roots of grapevines, killing the vine. Phylloxera is native to the eastern United States. It was transported to Europe on vine roots and plants and caused vine devastation in France around 1863. Usually a vine will die within several years of the attack.
Pinot Blanc
This white wine grape has in the past been mistaken for Chardonnay. The two varieties look very much alike. Grown in a variety of regions - Italy, France, California, Germany, Austria - the Pinot Blanc is a light, smooth, easy-quaffing white. Drink young.
pinot grigio
Grown in Alsace, Germany, Italy, and very successfully in Oregon, this grape variety can produce round, flavorful, dry white wines. Known as Tokay in Alsace, Pinot Grigio in Italy.
Pinot Meunier
Red wine grapes grown in the Champagne region of France. Pinot Meunier is used for blending with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to add fruit to champagne. Recently the Pinot Meunier varietal is being grown and marketed in Oregon.
Pinot Noir
The red grape that produces all the great red Burgundies. In champagne it is vinified without skin contact to produce a white wine. A difficult grape to cultivate, it can produce some of the most elegant wines in the world. Also good examples in California and Oregon.
Pinotage
A red grape that is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. Grown in South Africa, it is fermented at higher temperatures and matured in new oak for finesse and elegant berry flavors.
pomace
The mass of skins, seeds, pulp, and stems left in the fermenting vat or cask after wine making. One of the products that goes into the distillation of French marc and Italian grappa.
Port
Port is a sweet dessert wine. The name comes from Oporto on the Douro River in Portugal. Port is an after-dinner drink of very high alcohol content (17% - 20%). They have incredible cellaring/aging abilities because they are fortified wines meaning brandy and sugars are added during the fermentation process.

FAQ Categories

Glossary Terms

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z View all

Can't find your answer?

Gotta be a member first…

Login

or

Sign Up
It's totally free, fast and secure. We swearz!

Then you can ask your own questions or answer others'