The Meier's German Adventure

It was amazing to see all the bottles in various stages of production! These bottles are in the 3rd stage of production. During bottle fermentation, the yeast forms a deposit on the side of the bottle. Placed in these riddling racks, the bottles are turned once a day for 6 to 8 weeks. By gradually inclining the bottle into a vertical position, the deposit flows down towards the neck. The riddling operation is still done by hand at Mercier, although the traditional work of the riddler is also carried out by machines. Our guide told us that a good riddler can turn about 50,000 bottles a day.