Champagne the wine was bottled before the initial fermentation had finished. Champagne did not use the "" until the 19th century, about 200 years after Merret documented the process. The 19th century saw an exponential growth in Champagne production, going from a regional production of 300,000 bottles a year in 1800 to 20 million bottles in 1850. In 2007, Champagne sales hit an all-time record of 338.7 million bottles. In the 19th century Champagne was noticeably sweeter than the Champagnes of today. The trend towards drier Champagne began when Perrier-Jouët decided not to sweeten his 1846 vintage before exporting it to
Veuve Clicquot 1816. This technique makes it possible to transform the champagne from a cloudy state to crystal clarity. Instead of transferring the wine from bottle to bottle, she kept the wine in the same bottle but agitated it gently. The bottles were turned upside down, causing the yeast to collect in the neck. Composed much like a wooden desk with circular holes, the rack allowed a bottle of wine to be stuck "sur point" or upside down. For six to eight weeks, a cellar assistant would gently shake and twist the bottles ("remuage"), rotating them by a quarter-turn every day, to