What is Tirage and its purpose?

• A. Tirage is the aging of wine on the lees to develop aroma.
• B. Tirage is the addition of sugar and yeast to base wine just before bottling to trigger a second fermentation in the bottle.
• C. Tirage is filtering the wine for clarity.
• D. Tirage is the process of blending multiple vintages.

Answer: (B)

Tirage is the step in traditional method sparkling wine production where sugar and yeast are added to the base wine just before bottling to start a second fermentation inside the bottle. This second fermentation produces the carbon dioxide that carbonates the wine, giving it the bubbles we expect in Champagne. As the fermentation occurs in a sealed bottle, the resulting pressure creates the characteristic mousse, and the wine develops lees as the yeast cells die and settle. The wine then ages on those lees, gaining texture and more complex flavors through autolysis.

The sugar and yeast added at tirage are specifically to trigger that second fermentation; later, after the wine is disgorged, a dosage may be added to adjust sweetness, but that step is distinct from tirage. The other descriptions refer to aging the wine on the lees for aroma development, filtering for clarity, or blending multiple vintages—each of these serves different purposes and does not initiate the bottle-fermentation process.