Feeling 'racked' by riddles

Bob recently took delivery of four antique riddling racks.

The method of “riddling”, or turning/rotating champagne bottles was originally invented by a woman, Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin (The Widow Cliquot) in the 19th Century. The Widow Cliquot invented the rack and the method of turning champagne bottles on mass in her cellars to increase the production of her cellars over that of her rivals. It is still practiced in many champagne houses today, although in recent years there has been a move by the large commercial producers to mechanized rotation. An expert cellar worker, it is said, can turn as many as fifty thousand bottles in a day, and these skilled employees carry on the tradition when making vintage champagne in France.

These ones are made from Jarrah wood - incredibly hard, and probably about 80 years old. They are thought to come from the Seppelts vineyard, a very well known and respected South Australian company.

Goodness knows what he intends to do with them. . . .