Riddling is the process of gradually turning and tilting bottles of traditional-method sparkling wine so that the yeast sediment from the second fermentation collects in the neck of the bottle. The process is also known by the French term remuage. Once the sediment has gathered in the neck, it can be removed during disgorgement.
Bottles are placed horizontally on racks or in automated equipment and gradually rotated and tilted until they are almost upside down, with the neck pointing downward. This encourages the yeast deposit to move from the body of the bottle toward the closure. The exact time and movement depend on the wine, bottle and equipment.
Riddling can be done manually on wooden racks called pupitres, where a skilled worker turns each bottle by hand, or mechanically using a gyropalette that rotates many bottles at once. Mechanical riddling has made the process more efficient while preserving the same basic purpose.
Riddling follows the second fermentation and lees ageing. It prepares the bottle for disgorgement, when the sediment is expelled. The process is used for Champagne and other traditional-method sparkling wines such as Crémant, Cava and Franciacorta, subject to their production rules.
Example: after extended lees ageing, Champagne bottles are riddled until the yeast sediment is collected in the neck, ready for disgorgement.
Riddling moves and collects the sediment. Disgorgement removes it from the bottle. They are separate steps in the traditional method.
Chef’s note: riddling is not used in the same way for Charmat-method sparkling wines, where the second fermentation occurs in a tank and the wine is filtered under pressure before bottling.
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