Pairing for opposition

It arises from the need to counter or at least reduce, in a pairing, the dominant features to enable a higher taste balance. If a food, for example, is mostly fat, you should combine it with aÂ…

Pairing for similarity

It is essential when the taste of food is predominantly sweet. Pairing a dry sparkling wine with a stuffed cream pie is a gross error: food would lose its sense of pleasure and roundness and wineÂ…

Palomino

It is a vine with white grape grown in Spain, especially in Andalusia. It is from the characteristics (low acidity and low sugar content) of this variety that the famous Sherry is obtained.Â…

Pasteurization

Pasteurization is the heat treatment of wine and other foods in suitable equipment called pasteurizers; it does not pursuit the complete destruction of germs (something that sets it apart fromÂ…

Peppery

A wine is defined peppery if it has and an aroma reminiscent of grains of ground black pepper.

Persistent

A persistent wine has the ability to stimulate the taste buds even after being swallowed.

Petite Syrah

It is among the most representative varieties of the American wine scene. As red grape, it produces a wine rich in tannins, which is characterized by its robustness and its tannic and pepperyÂ…

PH

In measuring the acidity of wine we often refer to PH. The PH values range from 0 (high acidity) and 14: if the value is equal to 7 we say that PH is neutral. The PH values of wine are usuallyÂ…

Phenolic compounds

Substance whose molecule contains more than one phenological function; they play a vital role in colour, in organoleptic properties and in the processing of a wine. They are mainly phenolic acids,Â…

Photosynthesis

In very general terms, photosynthesis is responsible for the maturation of wine grapes. Photosynthesis is initiated by the green pigments of chlorophyll, which employ solar energy to help theÂ…

Phylloxera

Phylloxera is a very small and pernicious parasite of the leaves and, even more, of the roots of the vine, that came to Europe from America in the end of the past century. Due to this aphid a newÂ…

Pièce

It is a kind of barrel intended to receive the wine, whose capacity varies depending on the region: the Borgognona pièce can hold up to 228 liters, the pièce de Champagne up to 182 liters and…

Picco

A wine is defined "picco" if it lacks freshness and fineness due, almost always, to a lack of acidity (Veronelli).

Picolit

White grape, native of Friuli, which owes its name to the small size of grapes it produces. Although it has been considered for a long time a grape variety prized for the quality of the wine itÂ…

Pinot Blanc

It was created in Germany by a genetic mutation of Pinot Noir; its spread in Italy, and especially in Tuscany, dates back to the 18th century. It is also cultivated in Friuli, Lombardy and TrentinoÂ…

Pinot Gris

Pinot Gris, like Pinot Blanc, is a mutation of pinot noir and has been for many years one of the most consumed wines of Italian production. Increasingly popular in Italy, Pinot Gris is of FrenchÂ…

Pinot Meunier

Variety of Pinot Noir, is a red grape variety grown mainly in the Champagne region of France and owes its name to the fact that its grains, rich in bloom, look as if they were coated with flour. ItÂ…

Pinot Noir

Pinot seems to derive from "pigna" ("cone") and, more specifically from "small cone" to mean the small size of the bunch and the typical characteristic of the berries arranged similar to the scalesÂ…

Pinotage

Pinotage is a grape variety grown in South Africa, which was born from the crossing, operated by Professor Perold in 1925, between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. The resulting wine has an intense colour,Â…

Porto o Port

Only the fortified wines of Oporto can officially use the name. Porto is made by arresting the fermentation of wine (made with up to 80 different varieties) when there is still a high level ofÂ…

Pouring

Pouring is an operation which has the aim to separate the wine from its deposit collected on the bottom of the barrel, the tub or the vat. Is carried out with the bellows and, more often, throughÂ…

Powdery

A wine, in tasting, is defined powdery if it smells of earthy notes and powder and has a bouquet reminiscent of wine cellars.

Powdery mildew

"1. conidia stage of the Oidium tuckeri fungus that attacks the leaves, the green branches, the flowers and the fruit of the vine; 2. Diseases caused by the fungus, which is manifested by powderÂ…

Prädikat

Prädikat, to say "distinction", refers to a category of distinction of the wines of Germany and Austria based on the amount of sugar present in the grapes at harvest. In this way, the higherÂ…

Pre–phylloxera

It is a term used for wines produced before the infestation of phylloxera in the vineyards.

Precocious

A wine is precocious if it is matured in a short time (Veronelli). Wines of this type tend to be very fruity, since the most complex and subtle tastes have not had time to emerge.

Premier cru

French phrase, used in Burgundy, second only to the Grand Cru.

Premium wine

It is an imprecise category to identify quality wines in the United States.

Preservable

A wine is preservable if it has good aging capacity (Veronelli). This depends on many factors: vine, grape variety, harvest, grape selection, the balance between tannins, alcohol and acidity.

Pressing

It is the process of crushing and/or pressing of the grapes so that they release their juice.

Primitivo

It is a red grape grown in Italy mainly in the province of Bari. The origin of the name is probably related to the early life history of its grapes. Primitivo gives rise to two Italian DOC:Â…

Private reserve

If the label of a bottle is marked "Private Reserve" it means that the wine contained therein comes from a limited production and, therefore, should be the best of the winery that produced it.

Prosecco

It is a white grape variety of uncertain origin; it is considered likely that it comes from Prosecco, in the province of Trieste. Today the cultivation of Prosecco takes place along the left bankÂ…

Pruning

Pruning is a partial severing of the branches to regulate the vegetative and productive growth of vines and to give it a definite shape (Veronelli).

Pungent

A wine is pungent if it has a strong aroma, due to a high level of acidity.

Pupitre

See Remuage.

PX

Abbreviation used very often for Pedro Ximènez, a Spanish white grape variety, which is traditionally dried in the sun to create wines of great sweetness. These wines are from time to time used to…