No Christmas celebration is complete without a bottle or two of champagne. It’s great for adding some sparkle to the day, and will help to give your festive dinner an extra dash of luxury. But, if you don’t drink or serve champagne on a regular basis, you might feel a little bit lost when it comes to how it should be served and stored.
Here, we’re going to give you a run down of all the champagne rules you need to follow this holiday season, which will help you to serve the perfect glass each and every time. Read on to learn more.
Serve your champagne in the right way
Champagne should always be served in a long-stemmed flute or tulip-shaped glass, according to Into Wine. This is because they’re designed to concentrate the aromas of the wine, as well as help to preserve its bubbles.
Additionally, champagne is best served cold, and should be chilled to around 7°C. This will help the taste and smell of the wine to be fully appreciated. Placing an unopened bottle in an ice bucket that’s filled with half ice and half water for 20–30 minutes will help you to achieve this. Or, you could place the bottle in your fridge for 3–4 hours.
Store your champagne properly
When you’re waiting for the right time to open your bottles of champagne, they should be stored on their side in a cool dark place at around 7–11 °C. You should also keep them out of the way of appliances that might vibrate them. If there are bottles that you plan to consume within a month, these can be stood upright.
Don’t keep bottles of champagne open for too long
In its guide to how long champagne lasts, Gifts International explains that, if stored correctly (as we’ve outlined above), both vintage and non-vintage bubbly can be enjoyed for 3–5 days after opening. This means that, if you host a Christmas event and end up with leftover champagne, you don’t have to throw it out straight away. You’ll just have to find another purpose for it within a few days of popping the cork.
There are some ways in which you can tell whether an opened bottle of champagne has gone off: most of the bubbles will have disappeared, and it will have developed a strange ‘off’ odour, as well as a sour taste. If you have an open bottle waiting to be used, you should always check it for these signs before you serve it to any guests.
Follow these rules when you’re serving and drinking champagne this Christmas to ensure you pour the perfect glass each and every time. Your guests will certainly be impressed, and you’ll be able to fully appreciate the taste and aromas of every bottle you open.
