P

Paglierino: straw coloured, straw yellow.

Paniere: cradle.

Pastorizzazione: Pasteurisation (francese)
The process of sterilisation by heating, named after Louis Pasteur. The process may be used to protect against bacterial spoilage before bottling, by heating the wine. There are concerns, however, about the effect of heat on the quality of wine, and thus many quality orientated producers avoid this practice. Nevertheless some famous producers do employ flash pasteurisation.

Flash pasteurisation
The application of a short burst of heat to the wine. The intention is to stabilise the wine, although there are obvious concerns about what effect this might have on the quality of the wine. Employed, controversially, by Louis Latour in Burgundy. See pasteurisation.

Persistenza: Length
A tasting term, describing how long the flavour of the wine persists on the palate after it has been swallowed. A lengthy persistence of flavour may be taken as a sign of quality, but to time it, as some people do, is going too far.

Length - Lingering aftertaste.

Length - The amount of time a wine's taste and aroma are evident after it has been swallowed.

Length (see also Aftertaste)

How long the total flavour lasts in the back of the throat after swallowing. Counted in time-seconds. Ten seconds is good, fifteen is great, twenty is superb. Almost a synonym for "finish", as in "this is a wine with an long, extraordinary finish".

Pesantezza: heaviness
Pieno: full-bodied
Full proportion of flavor and alcohol; big, fat.
As opposed to "thin" or "thin-bodied". Fills the mouth, has a winey taste, alcohol is present, the wine has "weight on the tongue".

Pigiare: crush (to) - Pigiatrice: crusher

Poltiglia bordolese: Bordeaux mixure

Portinnesto - Rootstock
The use of separate rootstock - essentially a clump of roots - onto which the vines are grafted was made necessary by the arrival of Phylloxera. The precious Vitis vinifera varieties, such as Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, quickly keel over and die in the presence of Phylloxera infestation. The American Vitis labrusca species, however, are resistant. Unfortunately Vitis labrusca does not make world-class wine. The solution - graft vinifera plants onto Phylloxera-resistant rootstock, which was originally Vitis labrusca, but today is more likely to be a labrusca-vinifera hybrid, or another vine species altogether such as Vitis berlandieri, Vitis riparia or Vitis rupestris. The vast majority of modern vineyards are planted using grafted material.

Potatura: Pruning
Essential vineyard practice, important in canopy management. For more information see my article on vine training techniques.
Spur pruning
A method of pruning vines. More details may be found in my advice page on vine pruning techniques.

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

Presa di spuma: bottle fermentation, refermentation, second fermentetion

Pronta beva: ready to drink (wine)

Pungente – puckering sharp

Pupitre: Pupitre (France)
A wine rack which holds bottles in a suitable position for remuage. For more information see my wine guide to Champagne.

Puttonyos - Puttonyos (Hungary)
A 25kg basket used in the harvest of grapes, puttonyos have become a measure of the addition of sweet nobly rotten grapes known as Asz to Tokay wine. The more puttonyos are added per gnc of dry wine, the sweeter the final wine will be. Generally wines range from three to six puttonyos. A wine made from harvested grapes where the Asz are not separated out range from dry to sweet and are called Szamoridni. A wine made from the puttonyos grapes alone is called Asz Essencia.