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Rachis
The skeleton of branched stems that gives a grape bunch or cluster its shape. |
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Racking
To draw wine from above the sediment, such as lees, after fermentation and move it into another container leaving the sediment behind. |
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Rehoboam
A large bottle holding 4.5 litres, the equivalent of six regular wine bottles. |
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Reserve
A term given to wine to indicate that it is of higher than usual quality. |
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Residual sugar
The level of sugar that remains unfermented in a wine. See also sweetness of wine, generally giving a perceptible sweetness at concentrations of above 2 grams per litre. |
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Reverse osmosis
A process used to remove excess alcohol from wine made from intentionally overripe grapes. |
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Riddling
Part of the Méthode Champenoise process whereby bottles of sparkling wine are successively turned and gradually tilted upside down so that sediment settles into the necks of the bottles in preparation for degorgement. (Also known as Rémuage.) |
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Riesling
The shortened, but common name for the wine variety Rhine Riesling or Johannisburg Riesling. The most famous regions in the world where this grape is grown for wine are along the Rhine and Mosel rivers in Germany. |
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Rosé wines
Pink wines that are produced from brief contact of red wine juice with its skins, limiting the red colour of the wine. Rosé can also be made by blending a small amount of red wine with white wine. |
