The phase called riddling, or remuage, is what characterizes the classic winemaking method the most. Riddling collects the sediments, which are the dead yeasts or lees, in the neck of the bottle to eliminate them during the disgorgement.
TRADITIONAL RIDDLING
Originally, riddling was done manually, and sometimes it still is today. The bottles are positioned angled down on wooden A-frames called pupitres, which allow producers to correctly turn and gently shake the bottles—right and left—so that the sediments (mainly dead yeasts) are collected in the neck of the bottle.
An expert producer is able to rotate thousands of bottles a day using precise, efficient gestures, a practice that has been passed down generation to generation. With riddling, all sediments and small, residual particles are collected in the neck of the bottle, waiting to be removed: in this way, a clean, clear Trentodoc is produced.
THE MODERN METHOD FOR RIDDLING
Today, many producers use mechanical means for riddling. The automated machines can simultaneously turn hundreds of bottles in metal crates 24 hours a day. Here, too, the bottles are positioned angled down before disgorgement.
The two O’s of the Trentodoc logo symbolize the rotation of bottles during riddling.
