Station Œnotechnique de Champagne

French · firm

The Station Œnotechnique de Champagne is a firm opened in 1973 by Pierre Martin and Georges Hardy that developed and sold the gyropalette.1

The gyropalette

The gyropalette was patented in 1968 by Jacques Ducoin and Claude Cazals.1 It is a computer-controlled cage for 504 bottles that cuts riddling to one or two weeks.2 Before it, bottles were turned by hand in the pupitre, an oak rack of 120 bottles whose modern form was patented in 1864.2,1

More on the change in technique: history of technique.

By hand, a practised riddler (remueur) turns 50,000-60,000 bottles a day, by 1/8, 1/6 or 1/4 of a circle.2

See also

GyropaletteGlossaryRiddlingMethodsPupitreGlossaryInventions: cork, bottle, riddling, museletHistoryRemuageGlossary

Sources

  1. Union des Maisons de Champagne (UMC). The history of riddling (remuage)
  2. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Pointage, remuage (riddling) and dépointage

Facts checked on 2026-10-19