In Champagne production, liqueur de tirage is the mixture of wine, sugar and yeast added before the bottle’s second fermentation.
The base wine is first bottled with this mixture and sealed, traditionally with a crown cap. The yeast ferments the added sugar, creating carbon dioxide that dissolves into the wine and produces Champagne’s bubbles. This stage is central to the traditional method, also called the méthode champenoise when used in Champagne.
Liqueur de tirage should not be confused with liqueur d’expédition. The latter is added after disgorgement to adjust sweetness and complete the wine’s style. Tirage happens near the beginning of production; expedition happens near the end.
The resulting second fermentation also creates yeast sediment. Producers later remove that sediment through riddling and disgorgement before the bottle is finally corked and wired.