Definition: remuage

The cellarman, responsible for this task, also known as a remueur, gives the bottle a flick of the wrist to loosen the sediment from the glass and help it slide towards the neck. As the wine must be perfectly clear at the start of the remuage process, it is then left to rest for two to three weeks. Holding the bottles by their bottoms, the cellar master gives them a brief, sharp twist of 1/8, 1/6 or 1/4 of a turn, sometimes to the left, sometimes to the right. The aim is to loosen the deposit, which has been made heavier by the riddling aids, from the glass wall and encourage it to move towards the neck, on the inside of the cork (or bidule), without putting it back into suspension (a white paint mark makes this easier). Over the weeks, he gradually straightens them up, bringing them to a vertical position, upside down, in what is known as the 'sur pointe' position. These long and laborious movements are necessary because the deposit is not homogeneous, but consists of several layers of yeast and chemical precipitates (potassium bitartrate and tannins).

The next step (see disgorging) involves removing the deposit by removing the temporary cork.

Riddling, which used to be done manually, is increasingly carried out using machines called gyropalettes. Also known as an automatic rotation rack, it is a frame pallet containing 504 bottles or 216 magnums, mounted on a computer-controlled machine tool that rotates it sideways and also vertically, from a horizontal position to a position where the bottles are on their tips. Imitating the progressive work of the riddler almost perfectly, this machine-based operation allows the deposits to settle in the neck of the bottle and the second fermentation to take place, as well as maturation on the lees, with no significant difference in taste compared to the tedious manual operation. Mechanical riddling is currently estimated to account for around 80% of all champagne production. Only the turning of the bottles by hand, still carried out by some meticulous winegrowers, is a useful operation that cannot be performed by machine. See gyropalette.