Growth of Mechanized Riddling Threatens Traditional Sparkling Wine Craft
As automated riddling becomes widespread in sparkling wine production, preserving the traditional craft of hand-turning bottles depends on training new artisans.
According to Wine Industry Advisor, the traditional practice of hand-riddling sparkling wine—where workers manually turn up to 15,000 bottles daily to shift sediment into the neck—is facing potential decline due to increasing adoption of mechanized riddling. As modern automation becomes more common across production facilities, preserving the centuries-old technique will depend on training a new generation of skilled riddlers. The shift highlights an ongoing operational choice for sparkling wine producers balancing modern process efficiency with heritage manufacturing methods.
Key facts
- Hand riddling is a centuries-old process of daily rotating sparkling wine bottles to move sediment into the bottle neck.
- Manual riddlers can turn up to 15,000 bottles per day by hand.
- Mechanized riddling is becoming increasingly common in the beverage industry.
- Preserving the traditional craft relies on training a new generation of riddlers.
Why it matters
Illustrates the tension in sparkling wine manufacturing between technological automation and the preservation of traditional labor-intensive artisanal methods.
- Wine Industry Advisor — 2026-10-02: “He Turns 15,000 Bottles of Sparkling Wine by Hand Every Day. His Craft Could Soon Disappear”
This article was prepared by WBI.org from the sources listed above with the assistance of AI and reviewed by a WBI editor before publication. Information is attributed to its original sources.