(French: dégorgement)
Disgorgement is part of the traditional method winemaking process for sparkling wines. Because the wines undergo a secondary fermentation in the bottle, if the wine is not disgorged (see ancestral method) the yeast sediment (lees) would create a hazy wine, which isn’t seen as desirable. The process of riddling allows winemakers to work the lees into the neck of the bottle and the necks of the bottles are then frozen. This creates a pellet or plug of yeast and when the cap is removed, the pressure inside the bottle forces the yeast out.
