What is disgorgement?

• A. The removal of yeast after the second fermentation, in sparkling wine production.
• B. The addition of sugar to the wine.
• C. The filtration of wine to remove solids.
• D. The aging of wine in oak barrels.

Answer: (A)

Disgorgement is the process of removing the spent yeast cells (lees) from a sparkling wine after the second fermentation occurs in the bottle. In traditional methods, the wine is bottled with sugar and yeast to trigger a second fermentation, and the resulting lees settle in the bottle. Through riddling, these lees are gathered near the neck, the neck is then frozen to create a plug of lees, and the plug is expelled under pressure when the bottle is opened. After disgorgement, dosage may be added to adjust sweetness before final corking.

So the best choice describes the removal of yeast after the second fermentation in sparkling wine production. The other options refer to dosage (adding sugar), filtration, or oak aging, which are not disgorgement.