Sur pointe

French · on the point

Sur pointe describes bottles positioned neck down and nearly vertical at the end of riddling; the OIV calls this "inverting the bottles".1,2

Bottles reach this position step by step during remuage, from about 35° in a pupitre.1 By then the deposit has gathered on the closure, in the bidule.2,3

Before riddling the bottles lay horizontally sur lattes. Shaking to free sediment from the sides is pointage, and stacking bottles neck down for disgorgement is dépointage.1 Manual riddling takes 4-6 weeks, with about 25 turns on average.4 See riddling.

See also

RemuageGlossaryPointageGlossaryDépointageGlossaryRiddlingMethods

Sources

  1. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Pointage, remuage (riddling) and dépointage
  2. OIV International Code of Oenological Practices, II.4.2 Second fermentation in bottle (II.4.2.1-II.4.2.6)
  3. Union des Maisons de Champagne. Tirage or bottling the blended wine
  4. Comité Champagne (champagne.fr). Riddling

Facts checked on 2026-10-19