Wine Glossary - “an easy to use layman’s guide”
This glossary is a selection of wine related terms which are fun to know but no one should feel it a necessity to know these words in order to enjoy a nice glass of wine.
Watch for new updates.
racked:
refractometer: Instrument used to determine the sugar level in grapes, some are small enough to take to the vineyard to analyze the sugar level
riddling: also know as remuage is the process of tapping and turning a bottle of sparkling wine downward increasing the angle of the bottle to 90° so that the bottle cap is pointing downward. This process will cause the lees in the botttle to settle in the bottle's neck next to the cap. The process can take several weeks.
Riesling: a white grape that may have a fruit or mineral taste depending on the area it is grown in, prefers a cooler climate, frequently found in Finger Lakes, New York and Alsace France 
Sauvignon Blanc:
sommelier: wine consultant in a restaurant
stave: the oak pieces of wood that are put together and formed to make an oak barrel
Syrah:
tannins: compounds found in grape seeds and skins that cause the mouth to pucker
terroir: the effect of the combination of soil, weather, and climate on grapes in a given area
thief: instrument used to siphon wine from a barrel for a tasting
tierce: one third of a barrel
toast:similiar to how a toaster will cause bread to toast, building a fire inside of a barrel will cause the wood to toast. Just as in bread, the degree of toast is controlled. The image shows the inside of a barrel that was toasted.
Traminette:
