Opening a champagne bottle can seem a little daunting if you’ve never tried it before.
If you’ve ever seen it done on television then you’re sure to have seen the sea of fizz overflowing from the bottle as you pop the cork.
And that’s the other thing to contend with; the cork.
The last thing you’ll want to do is ruin a nice event by someone getting smacked in the face by a flyaway cork.
But never fear, that is why throughout this article, I’m going to list some of the best tips and tricks to help you open that bottle with confidence.
8 Tips And Tricks For Opening A Champagne Bottle
Chill The Bottle Before You Open It
You’ll want to make sure that the bottle of bubbly is chilled to about 45 degrees Fahrenheit.
When a bottle of champagne is still too warm the cork will release extremely quickly.
When this happens you get the tsunami of fizz pouring out of the bottle.
If you have a bottle of champagne that you’re impatient to open, here’s a little tip for you.
Fill a bucket with a mixture of equal parts ice and water and place the bottle in the bucket.
This enables you to cool a larger surface area of the bottle and so it cools a lot quicker.
Once you’ve cracked open the bubbles it’s also a great way of keeping it cool until you need a refill.
Make Sure There’s A Clean Cut Through The Foil
Most sparkling wines do tend to have a tab that helps you open the bottle, but they’re often unreliable and they don’t make it the entire way around the bottle.
It can often leave you with a load of extra foil and it can make the bottle look like a mess. Not only this but it can make getting to the cork more difficult.
When you cut the foil with a wine key you can cut a clean even line around the bottle so that the cork and its cage are fully exposed.
If you have kept your champagne in an ice bath, make sure that you dry the bottle before you attempt to pop the cork.
If the bottle is wet it is likely to slip out of your hands.
Use A Towel Or A Napkin
Grab a napkin or a kitchen towel and place this over the cage and the cork when you come to pop the cork.
This acts as a safety measure that will help make sure that the cork doesn’t ping out of the bottle like a bullet from a gun.
Always Untwist The Cage Counterclockwise While Ensuring Pressure Is On The Cork
When you go to pop the cork you will want to untwist the cage counterclockwise but it’s really important that while you’re doing this you remember to keep some pressure on the cork.
If you don’t, it’ll pop prematurely. You’re always best holding the bottle at 45 degrees.
You should untwist the O approximately 6 times before you begin to loosen the cage around the bottle.
Don’t Twist The Cork – Twist The Bottle
Once you have lost the cage, you’ll need to remove the cork.
This is done by ensuring pressure around the cork whilst you begin to twist the bottle.
It’s really vital that you twist the bottle and not the cork because twisting the cork can cause it to break inside the bottle.
And nobody wants to ruin a good bottle of bubbly this way.
Once It Loosens From The Cork, Pull The Cork Away
Once you have twisted the bottle enough for the cork to become loose enough that it is able to spin easily, you can start to pull the cork out of the bottle.
This can be done until the pressure inside of the bottle starts to push the cork out itself.
When you start to feel the cork move on its own, push against the cork gently to stop it from releasing too early.
Control How The Cork Separates From The Bottle
Once the pressure coming from inside the bottle starts to push the cork out, you can start to control how it separates itself from the bottle.
Essentially, the faster that the cork separates itself from the bottle, the more of a hiss you’ll have when it pops.
You want the cork to separate from the bottle at a nice slow pace so you can control the bottle more when the cork does pop out.
You may think that you’re aiming for that massive hiss and big spray but you’re not, yes it may look cool but it’s just wasting good champagne.
Remove, Wipe And Serve
By now the cork should be removed. So congratulations, you did it! You opened your bottle of bubbly!
Now all that’s left to do is make sure it’s ready to serve.
It’s always good practice just to give the lip of the bottle a wipe-over before you pour the champagne into your glass.
And while you may think that champagne flutes are the best glass to serve your drink in, you’ll be surprised to learn that champagne is actually best served in a white wine glass – so if you’ve got some in your cupboards give them a try!
Final Thoughts
While popping open a bottle of champagne might seem a little scary, it really is a lot easier than it looks.
Hopefully, with these tips and tricks, you’ll find that you can open a bottle of bubbly with no issues at all.
Just remember, that although that big bang and the massive wave of fizz may look quite cool in television and movies, it’s not really the desired result if you actually want to be able to drink much of the champagne in your glass.
Concentrate on controlling that cork and you’ll be set.
My parents own a vineyard in Napa Valley and were constantly making new wines for the locals to try. Their brand was one of the most popular across the US at one point. My sister and I loved running up and down the vines, picking the grapes for our parents, and even helping with the ideas.
Since moving out of the family home, my love for wine has not waivered - in fact, I consider myself somewhat of a connoisseur. I’m always the one to bring the wine to our girly gatherings, family meals, and picnics - let me know what we’re doing, and I’ll supply the goods.
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