The history of the turning table in Champagne

What is the stirring technique?

Riddling is a crucial and meticulous step in the traditional Champagne production method, involving the use of the table de tournage (or riddling table). This method, also known as the méthode champenoise, is used to produce top-quality sparkling wines, in particular Champagne.

What does riddling a bottle of Champagne involve?

In this technique, the heavy elements of the deposit are used to entrain the lighter ones and clean the glass. This allows deposits of dead yeast and other impurities to move slowly towards the neck of the bottle. All these operations are traditionally carried out by hand.

After fermentation in the bottle and ageing on the lees, the bottles are placed on wooden racks, so that at the start of riddling (20 to 25 degrees), the bottles are placed upside down in an almost horizontal position. As the cycle progresses, the bottle is lifted to a near-vertical position (60 to 75 degrees). The “remueur” rotates the bottle by 1/8 or 1/4 of a turn, starting from a chalk line drawn on the base of the bottle. A bottle is thus stirred by hand an average of 25 times over a period of one and a half months. A professional “remueur” can handle around 40,000 bottles a day.

How long does it take to stir a bottle of Champagne?

Riddling time can vary according to the style and quality of the champagne. Indeed, non-vintage champagnes generally require less riddling time than vintages, as they are aged for less time on the lees. Some high-end champagnes, such as prestige cuvées, may require up to 8 weeks of riddling or more to ensure optimal clarification.

How is the deposit from stirring removed?

Once the deposits have been moved to the neck of the bottle, the second stage, called disgorging, can take place. During disgorging, the neck of the bottle is immersed in an icy solution to freeze the deposits, then the cork is removed and the deposits are expelled by the pressure of the carbon dioxide in the bottle. The cellar master may then add a small amount of liqueur d’expédition to replace the liquid lost during disgorging and to adjust the final taste and style of the champagne.

Consequently, riddling is a crucial step in the production of top-quality champagne. It produces clear, limpid champagne by removing dead yeast deposits and other impurities from the bottle. It’s a technique that requires time, patience and experience on the part of the cellar master to guarantee the quality and consistency of the champagne.

An ancestral know-how

Back in the day, the stirring technique was performed by hand, and today only a handful of Houses still reproduce this ancestral gesture on wooden desks.

In fact, most producers have switched to the mechanized method, with processes that stir metal crates containing 500 bottles.

The invention of the riddling table in 1816

It was in 1816 that the riddling table was created in the famous Maison Veuve Clicquot. With a visionary and perfectionist spirit, Madame Clicquot invented the riddling table.

Madame Clicquot wanted to increase the quality of her wines so that they were always clearer and more effervescent. To achieve her ambitions, she made a table pierced with several oblique holes to be able to deposit the bottles there in different degrees of inclination.

Very quickly, this tool became indispensable to Champagne-making and revolutionized the practice. From then on, the remuage table was used by all the other Champagne houses.

Although this stage of the winemaking process is now largely automated, some wines at Maison Veuve Clicquot are still stirred by hand to perpetuate this unique know-how and the memory of Madame Clicquot.

200 years ago, this discovery was a real innovation. A strong heritage preserved with pride by the House of Champagne Veuve Clicquot.

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