1816

Year that the technique of rémuage was developed in Champagne. During rémuage, which is known in English as “riddling,” Champagne bottles are rotated and tilted to concentrate yeast sediments in the necks of the bottles. Riddling is done by hand in A-shape frames called pupitres or by computerized machines originally called gyropalettes.

Wines with a lot of acidity may taste fresh, but they do not age well.

Answer: False.

Just the opposite is the case: Wines that lack acidity do not age well. Acid is a natural preservative. For example, among the longest-lived white wines in the world are Champagne, Vouvray (Chenin Blanc from the Loire), and German Riesling—all of which are very high in acid. Acid also helps red wines age, although red wines tend to get most of their ageability from tannin, which is another natural preservative.

“In Europe then we thought of wine as something as healthy and normal as food and also as a great giver of happiness and well being and delight. Drinking wine was not a snobbism nor a sign of sophistication nor a cult; it was as natural as eating and to me as necessary.”

—Ernest Hemingway
A Moveable Feast

1816

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