The Finishing Touches

After Riddling is complete,

the bottles are then prepared for the final presentation and packing. First they are dipped head first into a saltwater solution cooled to –25°C. This “à la glace” process only freezes the remaining lees in the neck of the bottle, and does not affect the wine. The Degorger pops the frozen plug along with its metal crown cap out of the bottle with a long bang. The bottle is then quickly topped up with a Dosage, or mixture of sugar and wine (by this time the wine in the bottle, having fermented twice, is extremely dry).

At Sekthaus Solter, the Dosage for our Riesling Sekt is selected exclusively from the elegant, naturally sweet, late harvest riesling wine. For the Pinot based sparkling wines, fresh and fruity Burgundy wines are used.

The bottle is then very quickly sealed, using special high-pressure champagne corks, and then “caged” with the traditional wire closure. Finally the bottles are labeled, packaged, and ready for our customers to enjoy!