Sugar Rush

We've been preparing to bottle our 2009 wine designated for sparkling. We're making a Blanc de Blanc (from Chardonnay) and a Cuvee Brut Rose (from Pinot Noir). We've filtered the base wine and last week we added the sugar, moving the wine from one tank to another and mixing the sugar continuously so it dissolved. This was fun :) Next we have to add yeast to the base wine to kickstart the second fermentation, which will convert the added sugar to alcohol and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide will be trapped in the bottle, and this is what makes the wine bubble. We'll also add riddling agents to help the yeast coagulate once they have finished their task.

Sugar: check
Yeast: on deck
Riddling agents: on deck