Tuesday toast!!
Here's how to drink your bubbly...dancing on tables is optional :)
From the editors of
Town & Country Magazine, Winemaker and Champagne expert Elise Losfelt of Moët & Chandon shares 10 tips to drinking champagne like a bubbly enthusiast.
1. The glass - The best way to enjoy champagne is in a white wine glass. A white wine glass's larger bowl enables the wine to open up in the glass, allowing you to better enjoy all the aromas and to savor the complexity of the champagne. Traditional champagne flutes are perfect for showcasing champagne's stream of bubbles, but their narrow share limits the drinker's experience of aromas and flavors. Coupe glasses, on the other hand, create the opposite experience; the glass's extra-wide mouth amply exposes the champagne in the air allowing the bubbles and aromas to escape quickly.
2. Best way to open - When opening your bottle, make sure you keep the cage on. The cage helps you control the cork so it doesn't fly out when it pops, and also gives you leverage to help separate the cork from the bottle. When removing the cork, hold the top of the cage with your thumb to keep the cork in place and untwist the wire six times. Then, hold the cage and cork together in one hand while using the other to twist the bottle's base in a circular direction away from the cork to slowly work out the cork out. Twisting the bottle instead of the cork allows you to more gently remove the cork and have more control.
3. Where to store - A common misconception when storing champagne is to leave it in the fridge. If you're planning to enjoy your bottle of champagne immediately (within three or four days after buying it) storing it in the refrigerator is fine. But if it sits there for a week or more the cork can dry out, as there is no humidity in refrigerators. As corks dry out, the seal between the bottle and the cork loosen up and the champagne will oxidize faster, changing its aromas. Instead, keep it in a cool place in your home, away from any light, and where the temperature is consistent.
4. The ideal temperature - Once you're ready to enjoy your champagne, the best way to chill your bottle is to fill an ice bucket with ice and one-third water and allow your bottle to cook from around 15-20 minutes.
5. Pouring - When pouring champagne, only fill your glass about one-third of the way full. If you over-pour, it will warm up too quickly.
6. Hold the stem - Remember to hold your glass by the stem and not by the bowl because your hands will warm the champagne up too quickly. And, holding the glass by the stem will make you look more sophisticated!
7. The stopper - In between pours, don't forget to use a good champagne stopper to preserve all the delicious bubbles! A stopper will keep your open bottle fresh for about one day - in case you don't finish in one sitting :)
8. Drink champagne with your dinner - Many people think they should only use champagne as an aperitif, but that is not the only way to drink it. Champagne pairs beautifully with foods like fish, meat, grilled vegetables, and risotto, and can bring out new flavors you've never tasted in these foods.
9. Best foods to pair with bubbly - Also, don't be afraid to experiment with food pairings. Oysters and caviar are fantastic with champagne, and more casual foods like truffle fries, fried chicken, and cheese are equally as delicious with champagne. Champagne loves oily, salty, and fatty foods, as they bring out the wine's frutiness and freshness, so foods like burgers, tacos, BBQ sauce, and lobster (who would have thought?!) are exciting new pairings to try that champagne connoisseurs have been enjoying for years.
10. Celebrate every day - If you have a bottle of champagne in your refrigerator, don't wait for a special occasion to enjoy it. You will see that by opening the bottle, the special occasion will come to you. Celebrate life everyday!
