Ever Wonder? What's the Best Way to Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine?

For a lot of people, half the fun of opening a bottle of sparkling wine is popping the cork such that it flies across the room. Or an even more dramatic way is using a saber to knock the top off the bottle. And, the big spray that goes flying out of the bottle! It’s all so dramatic!

But, if you have a really nice bottle of sparkling wine or Champagne that you’re actually looking forward to drinking, there’s a better way to open that bottle.

You actually don’t want that big explosion when opening sprinkling wine. When that happens, as shown in the photo, it rapidly releases a lot of the trapped gas (CO2) from the bottle which makes it go flat faster. Not to mention the amount of sparkling wine that ends up on the floor or ground and not in your glass.

So, here’s the best way to open sparkling wine that retains the fizz and leaves you with the whole bottle to enjoy.

Once you’ve removed the foil from the top of the bottle, grab the neck of the bottle with your four fingers and place your thumb over the cork and wire cage. Untwist the wire cage with your thumb still on top of it and the cork. Now, just slightly move your index finger up along with your thumb to grab hold of the cork and basket. Keeping one hand on top to hold the cork, grab the bottle by the base with your other hand. Then, with a good grip on the cork, twist the base of the bottle with the other hand. As you twist the bottle, allow the cork to slowly extract from the bottle by giving it a little wiggle such that when it fully extracts you either hear nothing (perfect!) or just a faint puff.

There you go! It may take a little practice. But this is a great way to ensure that you get to safely enjoy the whole bottle of sparkling wine. Cheers!

Wine Fun Fact -- Do You Know About the Codes on a Bottle of Champagne?

It was recently brought to my attention that each bottle of champagne includes a code on its label indicating the type of producer who made the wine in the bottle.

The codes will start with two letters followed by a series of numbers. The numbers are simply the champagne’s house code, not unlike an address. But the two letters tell you a bit about the growers and producers of the Champagne.

RM (récoltant-manipulant): These are grower-producer champagnes. These are produced by growers who grow their own grapes on their own land, then make and bottle their own wine. There’s actually a large number of “RM” producers in Champagne. By law a “RM” labeled wine must go from grape to final product on the estate of the production (an estate wine).

SR (société de récoltants): These are produced by an organization set up by two or more growers to share one winery to make and sell wine under the organization’s label.

MA (marque d’acheteur): These are sold as their own but don’t they don’t produce it themselves.

RC (récoltant-coopérateur): These are grower-cooperator (co-op) wines. Grape grower will take their grapes to a cooperative for them to make the wine and then the wine will be sold under the grower’s brand. So, it their grapes but produced by someone else.

ND (négociant-distributeur): These are merchant-distributor champagnes. The merchant simply buys finished wine and put their own labels on them.

NM (négotiant-manipulant): These are merchant-producer champagnes. They purchase their fruit from growers and then produce the champagne. This category includes a lot of very well-known labels from Champagne.

CM (cooperative-manipulant): These are Champagnes made by a cooperative of growers who band together and share resources and then sell the resulting wines under one brand name. The growers usually don’t participate in the wine production in the co-op model. Instead, they have a winemaker who creates the final product.

So, next time you are looking at a Champagne bottle, read the fine print on the label to learn a bit more about the growers and producers of the bottle. Cheers!

Some Fun Facts about Your Champagne for New Year's Eve

Here are some fun facts about Champagne as we head towards New Year’s Eve:

• Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes

• Champagne is typically produced from three grapes — Chardonnay, Pinot Noir (Yes! A red wine grape!) and Pinot Meunier (another red grape)

• To be called Champagne, it must be produced in the Champagne region of France. Otherwise, it’s called Sparkling Wine

• An exception to the above rule is that California can produce “Champagne” – such as Korbel, Cook’s or André – and it is perfectly legal to be called Champagne. The loophole that makes this legal stems from a ruling in 2005, after two decades of court battles, when the U.S. and the EU reached an agreement. In exchange for easing trade restrictions on wine, the American government agreed that Champagne would no longer appear on domestic wine labels – that is, unless a producer was already using the name

• The first step in making Champagne is to make the wine, like any other wine, in a barrel or tank and bottle it

• The wine gets its bubbles from a second fermentation inside the bottle that is initiated by adding a solution of sugar and yeast. As the yeast consumes the sugar, it gives off carbon dioxide which stays trapped in the sealed bottle and ‘dissolves’ into the liquid

• Champagne bottles are stored with their neck down during the second fermentation so that the yeast will settle in the neck

• The upside-down bottles are regularly turned to ensure all the yeast ends up in the neck of the bottle in a process called riddling

• The Champagne bottle is then opened and the spent yeast is removed or disgorged

• Finally, some additional wine and sugar is added (the dosage) to balance the Champagne’s acidity

• This process of making Champagne is called the méthode champenoise

• Champagnes are generally categorized as: Extra Brut, Brut, Extra Dry, Demi Sec and Doux. All of this depends on sugar levels

  Cheers to enjoying a bit of the bubbly this New Year’s Eve and throughout the year!

Sparkling Wine - It Goes with Everything!

As we continue through the holiday season, the question of ‘which wine to buy?’ is constantly on our minds. And, the answer in any situation can always be ‘Sparkling wine!”

Yes, sparking wines are maybe the most versatile wines out there. For brunch, sparking wine is an obvious answer. If you are having an early evening hors d'oeuvre party featuring anything from popcorn to caviar, sparking wine is the answer. A steak, chicken, pork or seafood dinner - they all work with sparkling wines. And, yes, desserts go great with sparkling wines.

By the way, try serving your sparkling wine in a white wine glass. After all, it’s a white wine. And a standard white wine glass will allow you to enjoy the sparkling wine while also allowing you to experience all the wonderful aromas that a flute precludes.

So, whether you are splurging on the real-deal Champagne from France, or simply opening a bottle of Cava, Prosecco or any other sparkling wine, know that it will go with everything this holiday season, and all year long. Cheers!

Wine Fun Facts - Champagne

Champagne is probably the best known wine in the world. And, there’s a lot to know it about this wine.

Here are some fun-facts about Champagne:

• Champagne is not made from Champagne grapes

• Champagne is typically produced from three grapes — Pinot Noir (A red wine grape!), Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier (Another red wine grape!)

• To be called Champagne, it must be produced in the Champagne region of France. Otherwise, it’s called Sparkling Wine

• California can produce Champagne – such as Korbel, Cook’s or André – and it is perfectly legal to be called Champagne. The loophole that makes this legal stems from a ruling in 2005, after two decades of court battles, when the U.S. and the EU reached an agreement. In exchange for easing trade restrictions on wine, the American government agreed that Champagne would no longer appear on domestic wine labels – that is, unless a producer was already using the name

• The first step in making Champagne is to make the wine, like any other wine, in a barrel or tank and bottle it

• The wine becomes carbonated by a second fermentation inside the bottle that is initiated by adding a solution of sugar and yeast. As the yeast consumes the sugar, it gives off carbon dioxide which stays trapped in the wine since the bottle is capped

• Champagne bottle are stored with their neck down during the second fermentation so that the yeast will settle in the neck

• The upside down bottles are regularly turned to ensure all the yeast ends up in the neck of the bottle in a process called riddling

• The Champagne bottle is then opened and the spent yeast is removed or disgorged

• Finally, some additional wine and sugar is added (the dosage) to balance the Champagne’s acidity

• This process of making Champagne is called the méthode champenoise

So, there you have it. A few fun facts about the most famous sparkling wine in the world - Champagne. Cheers!