Riddling Rack
This is an early 1900s California “horizontal “riddling rack.” This clear heart redwood tool is used in the process of making champagne. “Riddling” was invented in 1822 in France. After a first fermentation of champagne to be, the temporarily capped bottles are placed into a wood board system with holes to allow for a 45-degree bottle resting angle during the second fermentation. This happens from the process of yeast mixing with sugar, causing bubbles and a cloudiness in the liquid. These bottles then undergo a “micro-shake”, a 1/8 to a 1/4 brisk turn of the bottles every day for 4 to 6 weeks, allowing spent residue, or “lees”, the dead yeast, to go to the neck of the bottle resting at the cap. The neck is then frozen, the cap popped off, and the sediment shot out by internal pressure, allowing for a sparkling clear liquid. A “dosage” of wine and cane sugar is quickly added to replace lost liquid, and to determine the "style" of champagne dictated by the amount of sugar added. The bottle then goes to corking and then foil. 99“ L X 27” W X 2” D. Circa 1900 - 1920s.
CT178