Dégorgado

Dégorgado is a term used in sparkling wine production to describe the state of a bottle after the disgorgement step, the removal of lees that accumulates during a secondary fermentation in the bottle. In practice, dégorgado refers to wines that have undergone disgorgement and are prepared for final dosage and corking. The term derives from the French dégorgement, meaning disgorging.

During production of traditional method sparkling wines, the wine undergoes a second fermentation in the bottle, which creates a sediment of lees. After sufficient aging, the bottle is prepared for disgorgement: the neck is cooled to freeze the lees into a plug, and the bottle is opened so that the plug is expelled by the internal pressure. A dosage of sugar solution and wine (liqueur d'expédition) may be added to adjust sweetness, and the bottle is resealed with a cork and muselet. The level and composition of the dosage determine the final style, commonly labeled brut, extra brut, or demi-sec.

Dégorgado is distinct from the initial fermentation and bottling stages and is influenced by factors such as timing, temperature, and dosage. The term is widely used in Spanish- and Portuguese-language wine literature, where it may simply be described as the wine having been dégorged. In English-language contexts, the same wine is described as disgorged.