JUNE 2012
SKAAP Cape Classic goes for riddling!!
In this stage, the bottles are placed on special racks called pupitres that hold them at a 45° angle, with the crown cap pointed down. A couple of times a day, the bottles are given a slight shake and turn, alternatively on right then left, and dropped back into the pupitres, with the angle gradually increased. The drop back into the rack causes a slight tap, pushing sediments toward the neck of the bottle. In 7 days, the position of the bottle is straight down, with the lees settled in the neck.
After the riddling we are finally ready for disgorging our Skaap Cap Classique.
Disgorging once a skilled manual process, where the crown cap and the lees were removed without losing large quantities of the bottles contents.
Modern disgorgement however is a highly automated process involving a machine which freezes a small amount of the liquid in the neck of each bottle where the lees has collected following Riddling, removes the crown cap briefly allowing the pressure within the bottle to push out this plug of ice before resealing the bottle. Immediately after disgorging and just before that distinctive cork is inserted, the liquid level in the bottle is topped up with liqueur d'expédition which comprises base wine and a little sugar known as dosage which will determine the sweetness and balance the acidity of the wine, since the sugar previously added at the tirage stage was consumed during the second fermentation.
Finally the bottle is corked and the cork wired down to secure the high internal pressure of the carbon dioxide. The sharp intake of oxygen that occurs when the wine is disgorged adds a welcome note of freshness that highlights the wine's complexity, but at this stage the wine is also described as ‘shocked’ and needs a further period of rest before it is finally ready for the neck to be covered by the distinctive foil and the bottle labelled before storing in cases ready for shipping.
