Pour a Glass of Champagne

Champagne is one of the world's finest beverages. However, if not poured properly, it loses its distinctive bubbly taste. While this article is written from the perspective of right handers, all you need to do is reverse it if you're left handed.

Steps

  1. Chill the champagne bottle for a couple of hours. Place it in the fridge, or better yet, submerge it for an hour or two in a wine bucket with plenty of ice and a little bit of water.
  2. Check that the glass (or Clean a Wine or Spirit Decanter) is clean. Polish with a tea towel (dish towel) or linen napkin to remove any water marks and dust. Milk is your worst enemy for fizzy drinks so make sure you never use milk in your Enjoy Drinking With Wine Glasses or glasses, or wash it in water where milky substances have already been washed.
  3. Wrap the bottle with a napkin or tea towel. White linen napkins look best but may not capture your drips as easy as a soft tea towel. This prevents the ice water or condensation from dripping and also makes the bottle easier to hold with one hand if you choose to do so.
  4. Open the bottle by removing the foil then the wire cage around the foil. Make sure to keep a hand on top of the cork as they can 'pop' prematurely.
    • Gently twist the bottle to ease the cork from the bottle. The bottle should not make a "pop" sound but "sigh contentedly". Making the bottle "POP" is a sure fire way of reducing the carbon dioxide content of the champagne making it feel "flat" when you taste it.
  5. Place the glass on a table, or ask someone to hold it for you. Do not put the glass in one hand and the bottle in another, unless you have the strength to hold the champagne bottle with one hand.
  6. Place your right hand at the base of the bottle with your thumb placed into the depression on the bottom (called the punt) and balance the front of the neck on the side of the glass, supported by your left hand. This will stabilize the bottle for accurate pouring. If you have a very steady Understand Basic Bartending Techniques hand, you can skip this step.
  7. Try to tilt the glass to its side (if you can). This way, when you pour the champagne, the champagne will hit the side of the glass, reducing the speed at which it hits the base of the glass, thus maintaining the Make a Bubbly Coffee Drink texture.
    • Pour the wine onto the side of the glass, not onto the base.
  8. Wait till the bubbles subside and then continue pouring to fill the glass. This may take up to 4 or 5 pauses in a champagne flute or may be achieved in a single pour if using a traditional champagne "Marie Antoinette" shaped glass.
    • Twist the bottle as you remove it from the side of the glass to remove any remaining champagne on the edge of the bottle.



Tips

  • A good indicator of how well you poured the drink is by looking at the bubbles inside the glass. The height of the white bubbles inside the glass should remain as low as possible. This means the bubbles are preserved.
  • Try to keep the bottle tilted at a 45 degree angle when pouring it.[1]

Warnings

  • Be gentle at all times. Champagne glasses are very fragile and so is champagne.
  • Drink in moderation, as always.

Things You'll Need

  • Champagne
  • Champagne flutes
  • Towel, dishcloth, napkin
  • Table or other firm surface
  • Helper (optional)

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ Videojug, How to open champagne, http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-open-champagne
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