1933 Jack's Manual by J A Grohusko

INTRODUCTORY

two operations. These are the"mise sur pointe" and the "disgorgement."

The Mise sur Pointe

The bottles are placed head downward through an inclined plank pierced with holes at an angle of seventy degrees. Every day for at least three months a cellarman, specially trained for this kind of work, shakes the bottles lightly against the plank with a wrist movement quick and sharp. The deposit slowly descends and collects on the cork. The Disgorgement The deposit, having settled on the cork, is now ready to be extracted. To do this the botde is first placed head downward, to a depth of three inches, in a refrigerating bath. Under the action of the cold, the deposit congeals in the neck of the bottle. The cellarman then takes the bottie out of the bath, holds it upright,undoes the clasp,and eases the cork, which the pressure of the carbonic gas inside eventually forces out with a loud re port, together with the deposit. The wine is then absolutely clear. The Liqueuring After disgorging, the wine has not the least taste of sugar, the sugar added at bottling having been completely transformed into alcohol and carbonic acid. Whilst in this state the wine is known as"brut." To regulate it to the client's taste, which varies in different countries, a certain quantity of liqueur,com posed of sugar candy and wine from the finest Champagne vineyards, is added immediately after'the disgorging.