When the wine is clarified, as has just been described, and the mud all accumulated in the neck of the flask, the next step is the removal of the mud, wasting as little as possible of the wine. Formerly this was done by a skilled attendant cutting the cords which held the stopper in place and allowing the pressure from the inside of the bottle to blow out the cork, followed by the whole of the mud. By a quick and skilful movement the bottle which had up to this time been held with its mouth down is raised to an upright position, thus avoiding any further loss of wine.

So skilful do (the operators become in this delicate manipulation that the whole of the mud is removed with the loss of only a very small quantity of the wine.