Do you know your stiles from your staves, your chime from your chamfer, your bilge from your crozer? Here are a few cooperage terms that will have you speaking like a barrel-making professional:

Bung Plug The piece, traditionally made of wood, now commonly silicone, that goes in the bunghole of the barrel.

Bilge The center of the barrel where it has the largest diameter.

Chamfer The sloping ends of the staves.

Chime The end of the stave at the point of the barrel's smallest diameter; the part of the stave into which the groove and chamfer are cut.

Cooper A skilled craftsperson who has learned the trade of barrel making through an apprenticeship or formal cooperage program.

Cooperage The production facility where the barrels are made. The French term is tonnellerie.

Croze The groove at the end of the stave or barrel cut to accommodate the head.

Esquive Smaller bunghole on the barrelhead used for racking wine, typically located either at the 6 o'clock or 8 o'clock position.

Flagging Dried rush or river reed used in the fabrication of barrelheads.

Heads The flat ends of a barrel or vat. The pieces of wood forming the heads are called headpieces or head staves.

Hoops The strips of metal or chestnut wood that hold the barrel together. Galvanized steel is the most common material used, and the ends of each strip are riveted together. The French term is cercles.

Hoop Driver The tool used, together with a hammer, to force down the hoops to make the barrel tight. This also applies to a hydraulic machine that performs the same operation.

Shaving Hand or mechanical removal of 1 to 3mm of the internal surface of a used barrel to remove wine deposits and expose a fresh wood surface.

Spiles Small wooden conical-shaped pegs used to seal holes and stop leaks.

Staves The pieces of wood used for the sides of a barrel (in which case they are bent) or a tank. The term is used for the rough-cut material before it is processed, as well as the finished product. The French term is douelle.

Toasting Also called "charring." The effect of continually heating the inside of the barrel over an open fire, after it is bent. It usually causes browning or blackening of the inside surface of the staves.