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Champagne is often a mainstay of any celebration. When opening that bottle of bubbly, however, you want it to stay in the bottle until it's ready to pour. With our How to Open Champagne guide, you'll learn to open champagne with sophistication and ease, and without spilling a drop.
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Champagne is often a mainstay of any celebration. When opening that bottle of bubbly, however, you want it to stay in the bottle until it's ready to pour. With our How to Open Champagne guide, you'll learn to open champagne with sophistication and ease, and without spilling a drop.
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Introduction
- Uncorking a nice champagne is a perennial way to celebrate at holidays like New Year's, weddings, or any special toast. What you don't want, however, is a flying cork that will detract from the evening, or worse. To open a bottle of champagne, you'll need to be a little more gentle. With a chilled bottle in hand, read on to learn how to keep all the bubbly in the bottle until you are ready to serve.
Step 1: Remove the Wrapping
- Just about every bottle of champagne or sparkling wine will be wrapped in foil.
- Most foil will have a tab you can pull to speed up unwrapping.
- Simply pull the tab to remove the foil from the bottle.
- Discard the wrapping.
Step 2: Undo the Wire Cage
- The wire cage around the cork has kept it in place all this time.
- At this point, and particularly with an old bottle, anything is possible. Keep the bottle upright and a finger or thumb atop the cork just in case.
- Unscrew the wire at the base of the cage and continue to loosen it until you can remove it without dislodging the cork.
- Discard the wire cage. You're almost ready!
Step 3: Hold the Bottle Correctly
- You don't want a cork to fly towards your guests, nor towards you.
- Hold the bottle upright and at a slight angle away from you, at about 45 degrees, with plenty of room between you and the crowd.
- Place a dishtowel over the top of the bottle.
Step 4: Twist Slowly
- The goal when opening champagne is to emit a sigh, not a loud pop, so most of the carbon dioxide remains in the bottle.
- Use one hand to hold the bottle securely and the other to hold the cork, which is now wrapped in the dish towel.
- Keeping the cork secure in one hand, slowly twist the bottle.
- Some say twist the cork, but many experts agree that twisting the bottle gives you more control over the cork.
- You will feel pressure on the cork, but keep it steady as you continue to twist the bottle.
- You should hear a sigh or very soft pop when the bottle opens. Use the towel to wipe the neck of the bottle and pour immediately.
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