Saar (sahr)
The Saar is one of the Mosel River's tributaries and an area within the Mosel-Saar-Ruwer wine making region. Being a challenging area for viticulture due to the cold climate, there are only a few vintages each decade that produce magnificent wines (though they are sufficient to keep the area planted and the wines famous worldwide). Most years the harvest is used for making a German sparkling wine known as Sekt. Because the path of the Saar is a northerly one in this region, its grapevines aren't planted along the banks but instead on south-facing hills in its valleys. This planting strategy maximizes the exposure to the sun.

Saint-Émilion (sant ay-mee-l'yon)
A picturesque village and the second most important wine producing region in Bordeaux, France (the first being the Medoc region). The wines here are mostly Merlot based blends, although some are based on the Cabernet Franc varietal. Though it thrives in the nearby Medoc region, Cabernet Sauvignon isn't as well-suited to the cool clay soil of St. Emilion. The town itself holds a lot of charm and is a favorite of tourists from around the globe. The area is dotted with ancient caves carved out of limestone that were used as wine cellars. Because of the prominence of the Merlot grape, the wines of St. Emilion generally offer more softness and are better when young than their Cabernet based counterparts from the nearby Medoc region. Some local villages attach the name "Saint-Emilion" with a hyphen to the village name on their labels, but their wines are often lighter and are made with more Cabernet Franc.
Important to note is that St. Emilion was not included in the famous 1855 Bordeaux classification (which focused mostly on red wines from the Medoc). St. Emilion underwent its first classification in 1878, but unlike the Medoc, which has not undergone a reclassification since 1855, the chateaux of St. Emilion have undergone periodic reclassification, with some chateaux achieving higher status, and some receiving demotion.

Sancerre (sahn-sehr)
A French village at the east end of the Loire Valley famous for its fine Sauvignon Blanc wines. In fact, the wines of Sancerre and its neighbor, Pouilly-Fume, are largely responsible for placing the Sauvignon Blanc varietal on the international wine map.

Sangiovese (san-joh-vay'z eh)
Along with Nebbiolo, Sangiovese is one of the two most important Italian red wine varietals. It is believed to be an ancient grape that's been used in wine production since before the Roman era. If you doubt the tradition of wine-making goes back that far, consider that etymologists think the name of this varietal derives from sanguis Jovis, Latin for "the blood of Jupiter." It's found in Tuscany and throughout the central and southern wine producing regions, and its several clone varieties are used as the backbone for many of Italy's finest wines, including Chianti, Brunello, and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano.

Sangria (sahn-gree'-ah)
A beverage in Spain that's traditionally a mix of fruit and red wine, served on ice. Authentic Sangria from Spain often includes the country's brandy which is somewhat sweet and has its own unique flavor. Mixing fruit and/or sweeteners with wine is an ancient practice that likely originated as a way of hiding wine that had spoiled. It continues to this day because, when well made, it can be a cooling and wonderful drink on a hot summer's day. In the U.S. wine coolers are no doubt the progeny of sangria but lose in comparison to a well crafted pitcher of the real thing.

Sassicaia (sah-see-cah'-yah)
Sassicaia is a red wine made in Tuscany from a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc. The wine is purposely made in the Bordeaux style, and, in fact, it's produced from vines that were grown from cuttings from the famous First Growth (Premier Cru) Chateau Lafite-Rothschild estate. Developed in the mid-1960's, it had no official classification for decades, even while becoming one of the most critically acclaimed and expensive wines in Italy. It was in the vanguard of a category of wines often called "Super Tuscans," all based on the Cabernet Sauvignon grape in spite of the fact that Cabernet Sauvignon was not a permitted grape in Tuscany. Not surprisingly, a new DOC designation was created in the Bolgheri region of Tuscany for this wine in 1994.

Saumur (saw-muhr)
A charming village situated on the Loire River in the central Loire Valley, Saumur is part of a larger wine producing area called Anjou-Saumur. Since the early 1800's the majority of the wine produced in the area is sparkling, and it has been made via the Méthode Champenoise. Saumur vineyards grow primarily the white wine grapes Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay and the red wine grape Cabernet Franc, all of which are used for their sparkling wines. This region also produces still varieties of red, white and rosé wines from a variety of grapes.

Sauternes (saw-tehrn)
A region in Bordeaux, France and, more famously, a dessert wine of the same name. The secret to the stunningly sweet Sauternes wine is the Botrytis Cinerea mold (also known as Noble Rot) that attacks and dehydrates the grapes (which are already beyond ripe), concentrating their sugars. The sugar content is so high it can't be completely converted to alcohol so the resulting wine is about 14 percent alcohol with approximately 5 percent residual sugars. In addition to being often served after a meal in France, many connoisseurs and chefs consider it to be a wonderful pairing with foie gras and other rich dishes. Sauternes is made primarily from the Semillon varietal, and rounded out by differing degrees of Sauvignon Blanc. In the U.S., the name "sauterne", uncapitalized and without the "s" at the end, is a generic label used on some cheap dry to slightly sweet versions that are in many cases bulk wines made from inferior quality grapes. These wines bear no resemblance to authentic Sauternes.

Sauvignon Blanc (so-vee-nyohn blahnc)
One of the world's most widely planted white wine varietals, Sauvignon Blanc is grown in France, California, Italy, Eastern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and South America, among other places. In Bordeaux, France, it's generally included in a blend with Semillon resulting in a rich and elegant wine, but without a lot of Sauvignon Blanc's distinctive character. The Sauvignon Blancs produced in the Loire Valley of France in the charming villages of Sancerre and Pouilly-Fume give this varietal an opportunity to express itself in a fuller, more authentic way. In the late 1960s, the famous winemaker Robert Mondavi popularized his new California Sauvignon Blanc wines under the name of "Fume Blanc", and to this day the terms are often used interchangeably in that state. More recently, New Zealand is rapidly becoming famous for its Sauvignon Blanc. The grape produces grassy, herbaceous wines with noticeable acidity that are best enjoyed young.