Gyropalette
Encyclopedia
A gyropalette is a piece of equipment used in the production
of sparkling wine
, such as Champagne, made by the traditional method, where the second fermentation
takes place in the bottle. In order to remove the yeast
sediment ("lees") left in the bottle after the fermentation, riddling (or in French remuage) is performed. At certain intervals, the bottle is twisted, shaken slightly and moved progressively to a vertical position with the cork pointing down. Traditionally, this used to take place manually over the course of several weeks, with wine cellar workers called remueurs performing the task on each individual bottle.
A gyropalette performs the same task automatically on many bottles at the same time, and in a shorter period of time. The bottles are placed in a cage, and are moved in a way which emulates the action of a remueur by means of motors and automatic controls.
The gyropalette was invented by two French vintners, Claude Cazals and Jacques Ducion, who filed for patent
in 1968, but was first introduced in Spain in the mid-1970s with Cava-producer Codorníu
as the first big user. Most sparkling wines produced by the traditional method, including most Champagne, is now produced using gyropalettes. The manual method is still used for some high-end wines.
Sparkling wine production
There are four main methods of sparkling wine production. The first is simple injection of carbon dioxide , the process used in soft drinks, but this produces big bubbles that dissipate quickly in the glass. The second is the Metodo Italiano – Charmat process, in which the wine undergoes a...
of sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
, such as Champagne, made by the traditional method, where the second fermentation
Fermentation (wine)
The process of fermentation in wine turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeast interact with sugars in the juice to create ethanol, commonly known as ethyl alcohol, and carbon dioxide...
takes place in the bottle. In order to remove the yeast
Yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic micro-organisms classified in the kingdom Fungi, with 1,500 species currently described estimated to be only 1% of all fungal species. Most reproduce asexually by mitosis, and many do so by an asymmetric division process called budding...
sediment ("lees") left in the bottle after the fermentation, riddling (or in French remuage) is performed. At certain intervals, the bottle is twisted, shaken slightly and moved progressively to a vertical position with the cork pointing down. Traditionally, this used to take place manually over the course of several weeks, with wine cellar workers called remueurs performing the task on each individual bottle.
A gyropalette performs the same task automatically on many bottles at the same time, and in a shorter period of time. The bottles are placed in a cage, and are moved in a way which emulates the action of a remueur by means of motors and automatic controls.
The gyropalette was invented by two French vintners, Claude Cazals and Jacques Ducion, who filed for patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
in 1968, but was first introduced in Spain in the mid-1970s with Cava-producer Codorníu
Codorniu Winery
Codorníu is the world's largest producer of bottle-fermented sparkling wine made by the traditional champagne method , it was founded in Catalonia, Spain in 1551. It produces 60 million bottles annually. Spanish sparkling wine from the region Catalonia is known as "cava."-History:The Codorníu...
as the first big user. Most sparkling wines produced by the traditional method, including most Champagne, is now produced using gyropalettes. The manual method is still used for some high-end wines.