R

racking - During winemaking, the separation of wine from the sediment in a container. This laborious operation -- one step in the clarification of the wine -- is carried out with the help of a siphon or pump and, possibly, fining agents. Racking takes place at least twice in the making of most fine wines and sometimes five or more times.

rancio - A style of wine, usually fortified wine or vin doux naturel, that involves deliberate maderization and/or oxidation. It is made primarily in France and Spain.

ratafia - A sweet apéritif made in France from dried grapes and fortified with marc.

raw - Describes a wine with a harsh taste usually due to overpowering tannins. Such wines may soften with age.

recioto - Italian - A passito wine, often slightly botrytis-affected, from the Veneto in Italy. Small amounts of sweet white Recioto di Soave are produced but most is red Recioto della Valpolicella, either sweet or the dry Amarone.

récolte - French - Vintage.

Rehoboam - Large bottle used in Champagne and Burgundy equivalent to 6 standard bottles (4.5 litres, 153 US fl. oz., 159.3 UK fl. oz.). See also half-bottle, magnum, Jéroboam, Methuselah, Salmanazar and Nebuchadnezzar.

remontage - French - A process carried out during cuvaison where the wine is pumped over the cap -- the floating layer of grape skins -- to keep the cap from drying and to aerate the wine.

remuage - French - Riddling.

Reserva - Spanish and Portuguese Designation used for a wine from a good vintage. In Spain the term also denotes longer ageing, while in Portugal it means that the wine has a higher than normal alcohol content.

Reserve - The implication is that a wine so designated is in some way superior, however, unlike Riserva (Italy) and Reserva (Spain and Portugal) this word is not subject to any government quality requirements in any of the countries in which it is used.

Réserve - French - Reserve. Implying a wine that is in some way superior.

residual sugar - Sugar that remains in wine after fermentation. A small amount of sugar invariably remains in even dry wines -- usually 1 to 2 grams per litre (.037 to .074 oz per US quart, .044 to .088 oz per UK quart) -- whereas sweet wines may contain 200 to 300g/l (7.4 to 11.1 oz/US qt or 8.9 to 13.3 oz/UK qt) or more. When the amount of residual sugar is insufficient for the style of wine, sweeteners are frequently added.

Retsina - a dry white wine made in Greece, mostly from the Savatiano grape, to which pine resin has been added.

Rhine - Famous wine river in Germany. Name given to all German wines produced from vineyards near the Rhine river.

Rhone - Major river in southeastern France, flowing from Switzerland to the Mediterranean. Name given to the wines produced from vineyards along the river

Rhône ranger - A name given to certain California winemakers who, since the early 1980s, have been producing wines in the style of the Côte Rôtie and Hermitage in France's Rhône valley. These wines, made almost exclusively from the Syrah grape, are deeply coloured, rich and fruity.

rice wine - Technically not a wine at all, this fermented beverage is made from steamed glutinous rice. It is classified as a beer in the U.S. but because of its alcohol content (between 12 and 16%) it is marketed more like a specialty wine. Produced mainly in Asia, rice wine ranges from colourless to golden yellow and from very dry to sweet. The most famous variety is Japan's sake.

riddling - In the making of sparkling wine, this is the process used to remove the deposit left in the bottle by the secondary fermentation. Called remuage in French, the traditional method of riddling, employing special racks and involving inverting bottles by hand in stages over a period of some weeks, is time-consuming and labour-intensive. Mechanized racks which automate the process considerably shorten the time involved, while new specially-modified yeasts may render the practice obsolete.

Riesling - The renowned white grape of Germany, Austria and the Alsace region of France, though it is also popular in Washington state, New York state, and certain parts of California and Australia. The grape loves to grow in cold climates and when it does, it can exhibit exquisite delicacy and elegance with light peachy/minerally flavors.This grape variety is best known for being made into some of the world's finest dessert wines. Susceptible to noble rot (Botrytis).

Riserva - Italian - Designation used for a wine that has been aged longer before release and has a higher than normal alcohol content.

rootstock - In connection with grafting, this is the portion of the root system of a vine onto which the scion, or shoot, is attached.

rosado - Spanish, Portuguese - Rosé.

rosato - Italian - Rosé.

rosé - From the French word meaning "pinkish", it is wine that falls between red and white in both hue and character. It can be made in two ways: using red grapes and allowing only a short maceration -- the period of time the wine is in contact with the grape skins -- or by blending a small amount of red wine with white. Generally, the first method is preferable for finer wines, while the blending method is used for simple, light-bodied, ready-to-drink wines. The exception is in Champagne, where blending is a common and accepted practice. See also blanc de noirs, blush and vin gris.

rosso - Italian - Red.

Rotwein - German - Red wine.

ruby port - A style of port.