French term for a process commonly used in the production of sparkling wine as preparation for the subsequent disgorgement (removal of the yeast sediment). The process was invented by Antoine de Müller, the legendary cellar master of Veuve Clicquot-Ponsardin, around 1815. Even at the dosage stage (addition of the "liqueur de tirage") for triggering the second fermentation in the bottle, many producers are increasingly adding so-called riddling aids, which make it easier to precipitate the yeast deposit. This is usually a mixture of bentonite and tannin, which prevents the resulting granular deposit from sticking to the bottle glass and causes it to slide evenly along the inside wall of the bottle. The bottles are placed with their necks in the roof-shaped riddling tables (pupitres), which were initially very...
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Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)