Opening a bottle of sparkling wine generally presents no problems, as long as you remember a few basic facts.

The carbon dioxide in the wine creates pressure in the bottle, so the wine should be handled carefully. Unnecessary shaking should be avoided and the bottle should always be properly chilled.

	1. Before opening, allow sufficient time for a bottle of sparkling wine to chill. In a refrigerator, achieving the correct serving temperature takes 2–3 hours. The wine can also be chilled in a wine cooler, filled half with ice and half with water. This will chill the wine to a suitable temperature in around 20 minutes.
	2. Take away the foil that covers the mouth of the bottle and remove the wire cage that surrounds the cork.
	3. Hold the bottom of the bottle firmly with your right hand. Rest the cork on the palm of your left hand, with your thumb over the cork. The bottle should be at an angle, with the neck oriented slightly upwards and directed away from you. Turning the base of the bottle with your right hand, use your left hand to control the movement of the cork as it leaves the mouth of the bottle.
	4. You may wish to keep a clean towel handy on your wrist, just in case the wine gushes out of the bottle despite your precautions. Ensure, too, that glasses are close at hand, so that you can pour the wine immediately.

Remember the pressure

A bottle of sparkling wine has an internal pressure of up to six atmospheres – a car tyre has around two.

Protect during transport

During transport, carry a sparkling wine bottle in its own plastic bag.

Don’t allow the bottle to warm up. The temperature inside a car may reach 70°C in summer, and the pressure may cause the bottle to explode in the heat.

Store in a dark, cool place

Don’t store sparkling wine on a bookshelf or in a wine rack, for example, because this will expose the bottle to heat and sunlight.

When you carry a bottle of sparkling wine in its own bag or store it in a closed place, you will avoid severe damage if, despite everything, the bottle breaks.

Open the bottle when it is chilled

Do not open the bottle immediately after transporting it and never when it is warm, because the cork and the wine will fly out because of the pressure.

When opening, direct the mouth of the bottle safely away from people. If the bottle has a plastic cork, the cork will leave the bottle very easily, so it is particularly important to control the movement of the cork.

Chill well

The serving temperature for sparkling wine is 5–8°C. The bottle will chill fastest in a ice water mixture (c. 20 min.), while in a refrigerator it will take 2–3 hours.

Pour around 1 dl of sparkling wine into the glasses. Firstly pour a little wine into all of the glasses and then the rest of the wine only after the resulting bubbles have subsided.

A bottle of sparkling wine (0.75 l) will be sufficient for 6–8 glasses.

Check out this handy Sparkling wine bottle opener >