Definition: Liqueur de tirage

To produce sparkling wines using the traditional method, the winemaker adds the tirage liqueur and the ferments that will cause the wine to foam to the still wine cuvée. The vat must be stirred continuously until bottling is complete, because if the mixture is not evenly distributed, some bottles will be over-dosaged and explode, while others will be under-dosaged and will not undergo secondary fermentation in the bottle under the right conditions.