How to Open a Bottle of Champagne
1. Make sure your champagne is completely chilled before opening—storing it in a wine cellar or refrigerator will ensure it’s always at the right temperature.
2. Locate the pull tab on the foil covering the cork area; pull it around to remove the foil and expose the wire cage (the metal wires that hold down the pressurized cork).
3. Place one hand on top of the cage and, using the other hand, untwist the little “O” ring counterclockwise 5 times until the wires are a bit separated from the bottle.
4. Do not remove the cage!
5. If you’re right handed, place your left hand around the base of the bottle and the right hand on top of the cage/cork (vice versa if you’re left handed).
6. Push down on the cork with your right hand while simultaneously twisting the bottle with your left. Continue to twist until the cork slowly eases out. You should hear a hiss, not a pop.
7. Pour your champagne—white wine glasses, not flutes, actually work best—by tipping the glass and pouring slowly down the side of the glass. Hitting another surface before the bottom of the glass allows the effervescence to disperse better, rather than coming straight back up at you volcano style.
THE EXPERT:
Ariel Arce, the “Champagne Empress of Greenwich Village.” She’s the owner of Air’s Champagne Parlor, a 1920’s-inspired space devoted to popping bottles of bubbles from her collection of sparkling wines. She also owns and operates Tokyo Record Bar, Niche Niche and Special Club, all in New York City.
THE EXPLANATION:
You don’t have to be very formal—or poppin’ bottles showy—when opening a bottle of champagne; it’s simply about controlling pressure. The metal cage is responsible for holding the cork tightly in place against the atmospheric pressure inside the bottle. You never take that cage off. This is a common misconception but by leaving it in place you ensure no one and nothing gets hurt. If the bottle isn’t at the right temperature, or it’s been shook up, the cork may be more likely to explode. If that’s the case you want it to pop into the top of the cage, and into your hand. If you’re uncomfortable the first time, put a kitchen towel on top of the cage and then your hand on top of that. Opening a bottle of champagne like a pro is about getting over your fears more than anything else.
BONUS:
The use of flutes dates back to the olden days of champagne producing where it wasn’t so much about the quality of the wine, but about maintaining effervescence. A tall, skinny flute doesn’t allow much air to get to the wine so the bubbles are preserved. Back in the day, those bubbles were needed to mask the base of the wine, which was often acidic or bitter and then doused in a lot of sugar (hello, champagne headache!). Now that sparkling wines are more beautifully and thoughtfully crafted, you can highlight them differently—in a white wine glass—so some of the effervescence dissipates while you drink and you taste what’s going on beneath the bubbles.
Pro tip: To quickly cool down a bottle of bubbly, fill a big plastic bucket halfway with ice then the rest of the way with water, add a cup of salt and submerge the bottle. It will be chilled in about 10 minutes. (That liquid mixture means more of the surface area of the bottle is being cooled.)
Fun fact you probably already know but here it is just in case: “Sparkling wine” refers to all wines with bubbles—Champagne, Prosecco, Cava. “Champagne” refers to sparkling wine made in the Champagne region of France, and only sparking wine made in that region can legally be called Champagne. Perhaps I should rename this page.
So can you keep a bottle of opened champagne? Yes, but you need a good stopper for it. Good meaning a $5 plastic one—it doesn’t have to be fancy you just want to be sure the air is completely locked out. It will keep in the refrigerator for about a week, but every time you open it and re-expose the wine to air it will lose some of the effervescence.