| Second crop |
| Fruit that matures after the first crop has been picked; the clusters are usually smaller and the shoots weaker. "Na-oes" in Afrikaans. |
| Sharp |
| Describes acidity, usually unbalanced. Sometimes sharpish, fresh wine is a good food match, however. |
| Shoot |
| The current season's stem growth that bears leaves and buds. |
| Short or quick |
| Insubstantial wine, leaving the palate quickly. |
| Simple |
| One-dimensional with few flavours. |
| Skin contact |
| In wine-making, leaving the grape skins in contact with the juice or wine for a period of time, and used to extract flavour and colour from grape skins into the grape juice or wine. |
| Stable |
| When wine is in a state in which it will not develop negative characteristics in the bottle, like re-fermentation, premature browning or protein haze. |
| Stalky |
| Unripe, bitter, stemmy. Taste like green wood. |
| Stewed |
| Over-ripe, cooked flavours and scents. Generally not good. |
| Structure |
| Term referring to the wine's components (acid, tannin, alcohol) in relation to its ageing ability; if a wine is deemed to have "the structure to age" it suggests these principal preservatives are in place and the wine is in balance. |
| Sulphites |
| Sulphur-based compounds used to protect wine from oxidation and bacterial activity. |
| Sulphur dioxide |
| Traditionally used to protect wine from oxidation and microbial activity during aging. |
| Supple |
| Desirable yielding, refined texture and flavours. |
| Sur lie |
| Means "aging on the lees," and often referred to as "yeast contact." Wine is aged in the barrel with the yeast retained, rather than being clarified before aging. Aging on the lees increases the complexity and creaminess of the wine. |
