The origin of the candle holder called “Cellar Rat”, goes way back : around the year one thousand, the monks from the famous Cluny Abbey used them, as a lighting device, of course, but mainly because the colour of the flame revealed gas leaks, thus showing that the wine was undergoing a chemical transformation. The holder’s handle, called “ rat’s tail” enabled the monks to hang it on a nail or the rim of the oak barrels. The small propelling mechanism pushed upwards the candle’s stubs by rotating in the spiral as they burnt away... a way of saving pennies!