In the Méthode Champenoise, which step involves gradually tilting and rotating the bottle to collect lees near the cork?

• A. Disgorgement
• B. Maturation
• C. Dosage
• D. Riddling

Answer: (D)

Riddling is the step where bottles are gradually tilted and rotated to move the lees toward the cork. By slowly tilting and turning, the sediment that forms during secondary fermentation settles along the bottle neck instead of floating in the wine, so it can be removed cleanly during disgorgement. This careful maneuver, called remuage in French, sets up an easy, efficient removal of the lees without losing wine.

Disgorgement is the step that actually expels the lees from the neck after they have gathered there; maturation refers to aging on the lees to develop aromas and texture, and dosage is the addition of a sugar solution after disgorgement to adjust sweetness.