Soutirage
French · racking
Soutirage (racking) means drawing clear wine or must off its deposit.1,2
In Champagne it first happens after débourbage: the must settles for 12 to 24 hours and the clear juice is drawn off the bourbes.1
The idea returns in EU law. Wine labelled bottle-fermented may be separated from its lees by filtering "in accordance with the racking method" instead of disgorging.3 This is the basis of the transfer method. Wines that use the traditional method terms must be disgorged instead.3
See also
Sources
- Comité Champagne (champagne.education). Fiche Élaboration du Champagne (FR) (2024-05)
- Union des Maisons de Champagne. Pressing
- EUR-Lex. Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (consolidated text), Articles 47, 48, 49, 53, 54 and Annex III Part A (2023-12-08)
Facts checked on 2026-10-19