Mar 13, 2008 10:53
16 yrs ago
1 viewer *
French term
sève
French to English
Other
Wine / Oenology / Viticulture
This is from a promotional document (non-technical, for the general public) for Bordeaux wines. Just wondering how others might translate the term “sève” in a wine context.
“Apprécié depuis toujours pour sa finesse, sa sève et son bouquet, xxxx est souvent présenté comme le vin rouge de Bourgogne le plus féminin.”
GdT gives the following note on the term , without being able to offer an English equivalent:
sève n. f.
Définition :
Terme de la région de Bordeaux à l'acception imprécise et qui paraît recouvrir les caractères correspondant aux sensations composant le goût à l'exception de l'acidité et de l'astringence.
“Apprécié depuis toujours pour sa finesse, sa sève et son bouquet, xxxx est souvent présenté comme le vin rouge de Bourgogne le plus féminin.”
GdT gives the following note on the term , without being able to offer an English equivalent:
sève n. f.
Définition :
Terme de la région de Bordeaux à l'acception imprécise et qui paraît recouvrir les caractères correspondant aux sensations composant le goût à l'exception de l'acidité et de l'astringence.
Proposed translations
(English)
| 4 +4 | sap (but I would turn it into the adj 'sappy') |
French Foodie
|
| 3 +2 | vigour |
Mark Nathan
|
| 5 | sap, vitality, vigour (vigor, in US) |
Enrique Huber (X)
|
| 5 | strength and vigour |
nicollecroft
|
| 3 | heart |
Expialidocio (X)
|
| 3 | sappiness |
jean-jacques alexandre
|
| 2 | aroma |
Jonathan MacKerron
|
Proposed translations
+4
50 mins
Selected
sap (but I would turn it into the adj 'sappy')
Believe it or not, the term sap *is* used by wine specialists, and you often see the adjective "sappy", which is what I would use here. Something along the lines of "has always been appreciated for its elegant, sappy style and bouquet..."
My excellent Dictionnaire des vins, bieres et spiritueux du monde lists seve as sap and describes it as follows: On dit d'un vin qu'il a de la seve quand il est bien equilibre, elegant et genereux en alcool.
Here are some examples of sappy in use:
Wine Bordeaux - Antag
Buy Bordeaux Wine - Purchase Bordeaux Wine. ... The nose is sappy and smooth. You'll ... For sale at ChateauOnline.com (more information), £ 152.99 £ 137.69 ...
www.antag.co.uk/go/search/idx/5040505/mot/Wine/t/1/go.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages
Wine & Spirits Red Wine Bordeaux Red Blends~~France - Bordeaux~~St ...
Chateau Lassegue 2003 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru - Bordeaux Blends Red Wine .... Suave, fine-grained and sappy, with lovely vinosity in the context of this ...
www.avillagemarket.com/showitems.asp?cat=Wine & Spirits&det... - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
Chateau Bouscaut - 1er Grand Cru, 1926 - Graves Red Wine Bordeaux ...
Appellation, Graves. Region, Bordeaux, France. Category, Red Wine .... lively and sappy character, with precise, upfront attractive aromas, right from the ...
www.finestwine.com/en/wine.php?item=Chateau-Bouscaut--Grave... - 175k - Cached - Similar pages
Bordeaux 2004.html
During flowering Bordeaux happily avoided two major and dangerous ..... 2004 CHASSE SPLEEN: Sappy and well-structured wine with fine tannin grip and ...
www.greatbordeauxwines.com/Bordeaux 2004.html - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
Bordeaux Blends Tasting Notes | Professional Friends of Wine
All but one wine were from either the 1997 or 1998 vintages. ... ripe, leathery, cedary, quite complex flavors are sappy, slightly woody, but very appealing ...
www.winepros.org/tasting-notes/011112meritage.htm - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
Find Bordeaux France wine tours, Luxury French wine tour, in the ...
Specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region in France. ... At this moment the wines are powerful, racy, sappy and harmonious. ...
www.bxwinex.com/vintage_notes.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages
Pessac-Leognan 2004
Very sappy style on the palate, delightfully fresh, but with a little delicate edge to the structure and a fine balance. An elegant, quite complete wine. ...
www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux2004pessacleog... - 20k - Cached - Similar pages
My excellent Dictionnaire des vins, bieres et spiritueux du monde lists seve as sap and describes it as follows: On dit d'un vin qu'il a de la seve quand il est bien equilibre, elegant et genereux en alcool.
Here are some examples of sappy in use:
Wine Bordeaux - Antag
Buy Bordeaux Wine - Purchase Bordeaux Wine. ... The nose is sappy and smooth. You'll ... For sale at ChateauOnline.com (more information), £ 152.99 £ 137.69 ...
www.antag.co.uk/go/search/idx/5040505/mot/Wine/t/1/go.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages
Wine & Spirits Red Wine Bordeaux Red Blends~~France - Bordeaux~~St ...
Chateau Lassegue 2003 Saint-Emilion Grand Cru - Bordeaux Blends Red Wine .... Suave, fine-grained and sappy, with lovely vinosity in the context of this ...
www.avillagemarket.com/showitems.asp?cat=Wine & Spirits&det... - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
Chateau Bouscaut - 1er Grand Cru, 1926 - Graves Red Wine Bordeaux ...
Appellation, Graves. Region, Bordeaux, France. Category, Red Wine .... lively and sappy character, with precise, upfront attractive aromas, right from the ...
www.finestwine.com/en/wine.php?item=Chateau-Bouscaut--Grave... - 175k - Cached - Similar pages
Bordeaux 2004.html
During flowering Bordeaux happily avoided two major and dangerous ..... 2004 CHASSE SPLEEN: Sappy and well-structured wine with fine tannin grip and ...
www.greatbordeauxwines.com/Bordeaux 2004.html - 58k - Cached - Similar pages
Bordeaux Blends Tasting Notes | Professional Friends of Wine
All but one wine were from either the 1997 or 1998 vintages. ... ripe, leathery, cedary, quite complex flavors are sappy, slightly woody, but very appealing ...
www.winepros.org/tasting-notes/011112meritage.htm - 28k - Cached - Similar pages
Find Bordeaux France wine tours, Luxury French wine tour, in the ...
Specializing in wine and culinary tours in the Bordeaux region in France. ... At this moment the wines are powerful, racy, sappy and harmonious. ...
www.bxwinex.com/vintage_notes.htm - 35k - Cached - Similar pages
Pessac-Leognan 2004
Very sappy style on the palate, delightfully fresh, but with a little delicate edge to the structure and a fine balance. An elegant, quite complete wine. ...
www.thewinedoctor.com/tastingsformal/bordeaux2004pessacleog... - 20k - Cached - Similar pages
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Still not 100% sure about this one, but some good refs here, a convincing case. Thanks to everyone who answered and/or commented."
4 mins
Jonathan MacKerron
Native in English
Retired as of Jan 2019!
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
aroma
one possible interpretation based on the Robert definition of sève = "Qualité d'un vin qui a de l'arôme et du bouquet."
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2008-03-13 11:00:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Harraps = vitality / vigor
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 mins (2008-03-13 11:00:33 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Harraps = vitality / vigor
8 mins
heart
For example, "The wine is very sapid. It is “sur le fruit” at the moment. The fruit here is in the heart of the wine and not on the surface. A deep wine, a structured wine, a long wine. It promises well and should be ready to show at the end of March."
+2
32 mins
vigour
from my notes, but it does not really have a direct equivalent.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:02:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Seve - This word is generally employed to indicate the vinous strength and the aromatic savour which develops at the time of tasting, embalming the mouth and continuing to make itself felt after the passage of the wine through the mouth. It is composed of alcohol and aromatic particles, which are dilated and evaporate immediately the wine is warmed by heat of the, mouth, etc. The seve differs from the bouquet in that the latter disengages itself or becomes apparent the instant the wine comes into contact with the air, and that it does not indicate the presence of any spirit, and flatters the smell rather than the taste.
http://www.ilikewine.com/wine-dictionary.html
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:04:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
AND FROM THE SAME REFERENCE/
Bouquet - The odour or perfume of fine wine appreciated by the sense of smell as opposed to seve, which is aroma appreciated by the sense of taste.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:20:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
This word seems to get used in different ways - it can mean vigorous or "sappy" as Mara says; I have seen it used in the context of young wines that are still tart ("toujours plein de sève"), and then it has this slightly odd "secondary smell" or "aroma in the mouth" meaning...
In your context I would be tempted to go for something like "aromatic quality"
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:02:40 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Seve - This word is generally employed to indicate the vinous strength and the aromatic savour which develops at the time of tasting, embalming the mouth and continuing to make itself felt after the passage of the wine through the mouth. It is composed of alcohol and aromatic particles, which are dilated and evaporate immediately the wine is warmed by heat of the, mouth, etc. The seve differs from the bouquet in that the latter disengages itself or becomes apparent the instant the wine comes into contact with the air, and that it does not indicate the presence of any spirit, and flatters the smell rather than the taste.
http://www.ilikewine.com/wine-dictionary.html
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:04:20 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
AND FROM THE SAME REFERENCE/
Bouquet - The odour or perfume of fine wine appreciated by the sense of smell as opposed to seve, which is aroma appreciated by the sense of taste.
--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2008-03-13 13:20:00 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
This word seems to get used in different ways - it can mean vigorous or "sappy" as Mara says; I have seen it used in the context of young wines that are still tart ("toujours plein de sève"), and then it has this slightly odd "secondary smell" or "aroma in the mouth" meaning...
In your context I would be tempted to go for something like "aromatic quality"
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Nadia Ayoub
1 hr
|
| agree |
Bashiqa
: When living in England, usd to make wine from Birch sap/ Must say I prefer a vigourous Bourgogne, as opposed to a mature Bordeaux.
7 hrs
|
7 hrs
sap, vitality, vigour (vigor, in US)
Harrap's Shorter Dictionary
21 hrs
jean-jacques alexandre
France
France
Native in French
Specializes in field
France
never lost in translation
Native in: French 
Works in: English to French, French to English
Related KudoZ points
:
4
sappiness
....
29 days
strength and vigour
Actual translation is sap and is an ancient expression. In a wine context it refers to the 'palate aroma and its persistence'. Reference Emile Peynaud.
Something went wrong...