Palo Cortado A rare and excellent style of cherry, between fino and oloroso.

Passito, Vino Italian sweet dessert wine made from grapes that have been dried for a short time after picking.

Pasteurization Process invented by Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) in which substances are sterilized by heat. It is used for certain run-of-the-mill wines, but is not considered desirable for finer ones.

Pelure d'oignon Onion skin. This is how the French describe the pale, orange-brown color of certain rosé wines and some old reds.

Perlant Showing a slight degree of sparkle, less than crémant and much less than mousseux.

Perlwein German name for a wine that is pétillant.

Pétillant Having a very light, natural sparkle, even less pronounced than with a perlant wine.

Phylloxera An American vine pest accidentally introduced into Europe in the latter part of the 19th century. It destroyed almost all vineyards, not only in Europe but throughout the world, in a disaster without precedent. Most European vines are now grafted on American phylloxera-resistant stock.

Pied French for a single vine.

Pipe A port cask containing 522.48 liters. The word is also used to refer to a Madeira cask containing 418 liters and a Marsala cask holding 422 liters

Plastering Not getting someone drunk, but boosting the acid content of a wine by the addition of calcium sulfate (plaster of Paris). The practice is more common in Mediterranean countries (especially in making sherry) where the natural acid content of the wine tends to be low.

Plonk Slang for everyday wine, possible a garbled version of blanc, as in 'vin blanc'.

Porón Double-spouted Spanish drinking vessel which enables the wine to be drunk without the glass touching the lips. When the glass is raised one spout lets out a stream of wine while the other lets in air.

Port English name for the fortified wine produced on the banks of the Douro river in northern Portugal and matured in the cellars at Vila Nova de Gaia. It is made in both red and wine forms.

Pot A type of large-bellied wine bottle now largely confined to Beaujolais. The brand known as Piat de Beaujolais comes in this type of bottle.

Pourriture noble See Botytis cinerea.

Prädikat See QmP.

Premier Cru First of the five categories of Médoc châteaux established by the classification set up in 1855. Châteaux in this category are Château Lafite-Rothschild, Château Latour, Château Margaux, Château Mouton-Rothschild and Château Haut-Brion.

Premium California term for wines over a certain fairly modest price - i.e. the opposite of 'jugs'.

Pricked A useful, if archaic, term for the unpleasantly sharp quality caused by the presence of too much volatile acidity.

Primeur Term applied to certain wines sold very young, especially Beaujolais.

Punt The hollow mound poking up inside the bottom of a wine bottle. Universal in old hand-blown bottles but now generally limited to champagne and port.