How to open a bottle of champagne silently, with a loud bang, and what to do if there are only girls at the table. Easy and safe - how to gently open champagne so that the cork does not fly out of the bottle

Opening champagne correctly is a whole science. Surely everyone has seen in films how a loud “bang” sounds when opening a bottle and at the same time, foaming, half of the sparkling drink is poured out. That is why there is an opinion that a bottle prepared for a solemn event should “shoot”. In fact, quiet cotton and light smoke testify to the high quality of the drink and the ability to open the bottle correctly. It is this method that requires knowledge of the rules and skills.

Below we will look at various ways to open plastic and cork champagne - with your hands, with a knife or with a corkscrew. All of them have common rules for preparing and cooling the drink. Compliance with these rules depends on how long the drink will be ready to serve, and its taste.

• Champagne should not be chilled too much. The optimum temperature is 4-8º C.
• Cooling is best in a special bucket - a cooler.
• Water must be poured into the cooler, and then ice is placed there. With this method, the desired temperature will be reached in 30-40 minutes. If you pour only ice, the cooling process will be very long.
• You can bring sparkling wine to the desired temperature in the refrigerator, but in no case in the freezer. This process may take up to 6 hours.
• Before opening the bottle, the foil must be removed from it. To do this, it is cut with a knife under the cork, and only then removed.

If there is no ice on hand, you can put the champagne under running cold water. There it will not cool completely, but after half an hour it will “lose” up to 10 degrees. It makes no sense to keep it there anymore, since further cooling is possible only with ice or in the refrigerator.

Chilled to the right temperature, sparkling wine is served to the table in a cooler on a front plate, as the condensate will leave a wet spot on the tablecloth.

The one who will open and pour the drink must perform the following steps.

• Tilt the bottle at a 45º angle and hold it with one hand underneath. How much to tilt the bottle is easy to determine visually: if the bottle is tilted correctly, the champagne will be about 1 cm from the cork.
• Remove the wire bridle (musele), while holding the cork on top with your finger.
• Rotate the bottle (not the cork) and then wiggle it a little while holding the cork firmly, allowing it to come out of the neck gradually.
• After cotton, you can open and pour a noble drink. It is poured into glasses slowly so that it does not start foaming.

If there are few guests, it is better not to throw away the bridle and cork; sparkling wine may have to be corked for later storage.

How to open champagne with a corkscrew?

Occasionally, it happens that an inch of a plastic or cork stopper breaks off.

If the cork is broken, there are three ways to open the bottle.

• 1st way.

The remains of the upper part of the cork are cut off with a knife. Then it is squeezed a little inward, then it is knocked out with cotton on the bottom. This method is quite extreme, since the foamy drink also flies out when it is popped.

• 2nd way.

A hole is made in the cork so that some of the carbon dioxide comes out of it and the pressure decreases. The remains are pressed inward with a thin blunt object.

• 3rd method - using a corkscrew.

The corkscrew is screwed into the cork and pulled out with it. So that the bottle does not shatter into pieces from excessive pressure, here you also need to pre-make a hole and release some of the gas. This method is suitable if the champagne is sealed with a cork stopper. Plastic corkscrew will not open.

How long does champagne keep at home?

If champagne is purchased for the future, questions arise - how to store it correctly and how long will it retain its taste? The storage time depends on the release date of the drink and how it is sealed. Sparkling wine with a cork stopper will keep its bouquet for two years, but plastic will reduce this period by half - up to 12 months from the date of production.

Such periods are possible only if the storage conditions are observed.

• Suitable temperature - from +5 to +18º
• The bottle must be stored in a horizontal position. Otherwise, the cork may dry out and crumble inside when opened.
• Care must be taken to ensure that the light does not fall on the bottle. Bright sunlight falling on champagne can spoil its taste in 15-20 minutes.

After the bottle has been opened, it can be stored for a short time. In the refrigerator, previously opened sparkling wine is stored throughout the day, provided that it is tightly sealed. So much time it will retain its taste. In this case, bubbles of carbon dioxide may not be preserved.

It depends on two components - how long the sparkling wine stood open on the table and how much is left. The more champagne in the bottle and the less open it is, the more likely it is that it will not lose its "sparkling" properties. If the bottle was re-closed loosely or stood for more than a day, the wine can be used to marinate meat and prepare various sauces.

A bottle of champagne has become an indispensable and invariable attribute of any festive table. It is it that acts as the personification of a triumph or a memorable event for more than one hundred years. But even a perfectly planned holiday will spoil if a person does not know how to properly open a bottle of sparkling wine. Also, with careless handling of the drink, there is a possibility of harming yourself or others.

For a long time the existence of the drink, certain nuances have developed in society regarding the culture of its use. Unfortunately, even now there are people who are completely unaware of how to open festive champagne correctly and effectively. But adhering to small secrets, a person will not only gracefully open a bottle, but also make a proper impression on others. Such a ritual will look like a great addition to the festive table.

Nuances that ensure easy opening of sparkling wines

In addition to the direct ways of opening the drink, there are several small subtleties. They will minimize the likelihood of spontaneous release of the cork from the neck or other troubles. If you take into account all the nuances and properly prepare, champagne will open as if by magic.

1. Proper storage is very important for sparkling wines. Due to the carbon dioxide content and the strong pressure inside the bottle, the wine should never be shaken.
2. The optimum temperature for champagne is between 7 and 9 degrees. It is not recommended to store it in the refrigerator. Cooling and storage of the bottle is done in a bucket with ice or cold water.

Important: Try to avoid overcooling the drink, as this will spoil its taste.

1. Before opening chilled champagne, it is recommended to wipe the bottle with a napkin or kitchen towel. For greater confidence, with the help of them you can hold it tighter when opening.
2. A bottle with a plastic stopper needs to be opened carefully, as unlike a traditional wine stopper, it is more slippery.

Ways to properly open a bottle of champagne

Since it is easy to open champagne using the traditional method, it is the most common.

1. Carefully unroll and remove the muzzle. When doing this, the champagne must not be disturbed, so as not to create a release of carbon dioxide. If the wire breaks off when opening, you can use pliers or pliers.
2. Holding the bottle firmly at the base, you need to tilt it at an angle of 45 degrees. At this stage, you need to carefully monitor that the neck is not directed at people or interior items.
3. Gently holding the cork, you need to slowly and carefully turn the bottle clockwise. If everything is done correctly, the cork will easily come out of the neck, making a soft click.

There are more extravagant ways, but for them you need to have a certain skill and skill.

Safe and neat bottle opening option for girls

Since the procedure for uncorking a drink requires a certain physical strength, it is not always easy for a girl to open champagne on her own. To eliminate the chance of a cork shot, here are three tips to make the traditional method easier.

• throw a towel over the neck, leaving some space inside;
• place the bottle on a secure surface;
• make the opening while sitting.

If it is inconvenient to do this at the table, you can put a bottle of wine on your lap. It is important to carefully ensure that the cork does not touch the drink.

This will allow you to safely open the bottle and enjoy your favorite drink. Otherwise, there are no differences with the previous method.

How to uncork champagne without cotton

In order to open sparkling wine without a shot, it is necessary not to interfere with the cork being pushed out by the gases. It only needs to be held slightly at the moment of separation from the neck. You can hold it with a towel, creating a kind of catcher. This will allow you to silently open the champagne without scaring others. An important point is the rotation of the bottle during opening. This should be done slowly and carefully to avoid accumulation of excess gas. After opening the cork, it is recommended to hold it slightly above the neck, bleed off the accumulated excess carbon dioxide.

Opening a bottle with cotton

According to etiquette, loud clap is bad form and unacceptable in a cultural company. But sometimes, situations arise when sparkling wine opens as noisily as possible. In order to open champagne in this way, after removing the muselet, it must be shaken slightly and the cork should not be prevented from being pushed out. After opening the drink in this way, you must wait until all the foam comes out of the bottle, and only then pour the wine into glasses. Be prepared for the fact that the neck of the bottle may fly off along with the cork.

How to uncork champagne if the cork is broken

Sometimes, for whatever reason, opening a bottle can easily become impossible due to a broken cork. If this happens, do not panic and get upset ahead of time, as the situation can still be corrected. And here you can not do without a corkscrew.

Important: Do not use a thick self-tapping screw, as it can crush the cork.

Another common method in the post-Soviet space involves opening a bottle with a self-tapping screw. To do this, it is screwed into the cork, and with the help of pliers it is removed from the neck along with the stuck cork.

Sometimes the way out of this unpleasant situation is quite simple. A broken cork comes out perfectly under the pressure of carbon dioxide, if you gently hit the bottom of the bottle with the base of your palm several times. Before this, you should move away from people and breaking objects, as the cork can shoot at any moment.

You can push a broken cork inward, but then you have to strain the drink to catch all the small pieces. Before that, you need to make a hole in the cork and release the gas. Otherwise, when trying to push through the cork, the bottle is able to explode, unable to withstand the resulting pressure.

How to open champagne with a knife

Before opening a bottle of chilled champagne in this way, guests should be asked to move to a safe distance. This method is called saber or hussar. It consists in the fact that it is necessary to apply a smooth and accurate blow with a sharp object to the seam at the base of the neck. Before impact, the bottle should be slightly tilted for convenience. The opening of champagne by the saber method is accompanied by a loud pop and an abundance of foam, which creates a solemn mood. Do not worry about small pieces of glass getting into the drink. During the shot, everything that breaks off the neck is washed out by the pressure of the foam.

Another way to open a broken cork with a knife is as follows. The top of the cork is cut off to create the flattest possible surface. The rest of the cut cork is pushed a little deeper into the neck. Then the cork is pricked with a knife with a long thin blade and gradually removed with smooth turning movements.

How to open champagne with a corkscrew

Not everyone can have a self-tapping screw at home, and not everyone can open their favorite sparkling wine using the saber method the first time. In this case, the most ordinary corkscrew, which is present in any kitchen, will come to the rescue. It is easier and easier for them to open champagne, but even here there are subtleties.

Before opening, a small hole should be made in the cork to release the accumulated gas and avoid an explosion. Next, using a corkscrew, slowly and carefully begin to remove the cork. It is recommended not to make sudden movements, and not to disturb the drink.

How to open champagne with special tools

Progress does not stand still, and people have figured out how to facilitate and automate such work as the discovery of champagne. Special corkscrews were created, designed specifically for sparkling wines, taking into account all their features. With the help of them, the bottle opens effortlessly in a matter of seconds. Some models are able to catch a cork, others to bite the wire. If desired, everyone will find an instrument to their taste and wallet.

Each person is able to deftly and masterfully uncork a bottle of sparkling wine like a real professional sommelier. To do this, you need to follow little secrets and practice at every opportunity. After some time, you will be able to complete the festive day with an interesting and unusual spectacle, into which you can turn the usual opening of sparkling wine. And following the traditional way will demonstrate to others the culture and gallantry of the owner.

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For many of us, champagne is associated precisely with some kind of solemn event, a joyful event and a pleasant pastime. However, the general fun can easily be spoiled by such an annoying oversight as the problem with opening a bottle of this sparkling drink. It happens that at a purely women's holiday, all the girls look at champagne with bewilderment, wondering who will open it for them. And all because, according to the rules of good manners, it is a man who should open this drink.

What should be done in order to easily and beautifully open a bottle? To do this, follow the following recommendations:

If there is a chance that the accumulation of gas will contribute to the shot of the cork, then you can use one more little trick. To do this, you will need to pour cold water over the neck of the bottle, the amount of gas will subside, and you can continue the process of opening champagne without any problems.

After the cork is finally removed, slowly pour the drink into the glasses of the guests, mesmerizing them with your unhurried and smooth movements. So you will do everything in accordance with the rules of etiquette, and also turn such a simple and ordinary action into a real mysterious ritual. Do not forget that it is customary to pour champagne in two approaches, filling the glass no more than two-thirds.

And all the guests will definitely be surprised that you easily and naturally uncork the treasured bottle with a little cotton, but without splashing. However, you will need even more skill than when opening without sound. With this method, you will need to shake the bottle with a drink a little. As a result of the manipulations carried out, the gas pressure will begin to strongly displace the cork from the neck. At this point, you need to hold it a little, and then quickly remove it without spilling the drink.

How to open champagne with a knife

If you have already practiced enough when opening sparkling wine, and the guests want something fun and interesting, then you can try learning how to open a bottle with a knife.

To do this, you need to do the following:

1. Chill the champagne first. After we release the bottle from the foil and unwind the metal wire so that it does not hold back the cork, but do not remove it completely.
2. Now we take a wide and sharp knife, it is desirable that it be quite large.
3. We tilt our champagne and turn the neck to where there are no guests and valuable fragile items.
4. Next, you need to choose a seam on the bottle, along which we will open it. We take the knife with a sharp edge towards us, and with a blunt one we direct it to the neck of the container. We spend a couple of times along the junction, mentally choosing a point for the next strike, and aiming well, we sharply hit this place. An effective hit must be sliding. If it didn’t work out right away, then you need to repeat this maneuver, then the neck of the bottle will definitely fly off. Be sure to make sure that part of the drink poured out and washed away the small particles of glass.

And ideally, there should be no glass fragments when we open champagne with a knife. However, if you are afraid that you will accidentally swallow small particles from a broken bottle, then after the champagne is poured into a glass, wait a bit. Then everything that accidentally got into the drink will definitely sink to the bottom of the glass. And when drinking sparkling wine, leave a couple of last sips, then you will definitely protect yourself.

Remember how in films about hussars the latter opened bottles of champagne with a saber or made whole foam fountains?

If it is possible to do such an operation with “Sovietsky” even today, then high-quality French sparkling wines are too tasty a drink to lose even a drop.

By the way, not only a professional waiter or bartender can open champagne correctly - even fragile girls can do this procedure. Agree, the ability to “open” a bottle without a stream of foam is useful at a bachelorette party. What secrets do you need to know?

First of all, remember that according to the rules of table etiquette, this alcohol must be opened without special sound effects: the desired sound is a slight hiss that comes from the neck.

The French argue that high-quality (and properly opened!) sparkling wine should whisper, not scream. And even more so - the guests in whom you got a cork or poured a drink should not scream.

• Before a feast or a romantic evening, do not be lazy chill the bottle. This is best done in the refrigerator - place the drink on the middle shelf. A cooler is also suitable - this is the name of a bucket for cooling wine. But it’s better not to put alcohol in the freezer - this will negatively affect its taste and “effervescence”. You can do this only in one case - if you want to know at what temperature champagne freezes.
• A drink cooled to 6-8 degrees can be opened. For this, a bottle is advised wrap in a towel(so it doesn't slip out of your hands) and tilt 40-45 degrees. This makes it easier to control the movements of the cork when the gas bubbles "push" it.
• The next step is to remove the foil. It is enough to pull the special "tongue" on the side, and it will be removed very easily. After that, loosen the muzzle - the wire that holds the cork in place. It is wrapped in six turns. The muzzle is untwisted, but left on the cork, holding it with the thumb.
• Further the cork is firmly fixed with the palm of your hand, and the bottle is slightly rotated around its axis. You can do the opposite - hold the container and turn the cork, but in this case it is more difficult to avoid a shot.
• Gradually removing the cork, achieve a light "sigh" of the drink, after which it can be poured into glasses.
• The rules of etiquette prescribe fill glasses no more than two thirds, and do it not immediately, but in two passes.

How to properly open champagne without a shot

If you are going to enjoy an elite brand of alcohol, such as cuvée, opening it with a shot and other special effects is a real crime. It is more correct to use the already described classical method. A few tricks will help make the process easier.

• To speed up the cooling of wine, place it in champagne bucket filled with a mixture of cold water and ice . Add a tablespoon of salt to the water - and the alcohol will reach the desired temperature in just half an hour.
• Connoisseurs advise to abandon special wine refrigerators- although it is easier to achieve the required temperature in them, condensation forms faster on the glass surface of the container.
• Before opening, check the expiration date of the drink: if it has expired, the bewitching action will not work, and the taste will not be the same at all.
• To protect yourself from trouble you can wrap a towel around not only the bottle itself, but also the neck with the cork. Make a kind of “pocket” at the neck out of a towel or cloth napkin - leave a fabric gap. This will make it easier to control the process.
• Carry a drink from fridge to table very careful. Shaking or shaking will make it impossible to open the champagne without a shot.
• It is easier for the fair sex not to tilt the drink, but to hold it vertically. It is best to open on a table or other hard surface. But men can also tilt the wine, resting the bottom of the bottle on the side, stomach or palm of the hand.
• Do not point the neck towards people, table, fragile objects or utensils. It is better to turn it away - even if the situation gets out of hand, it will not be dangerous for guests or valuables.
• You can control the exit of the cork with your fingers- do not relax them until the drink is opened.
• If a gas pressure is rapidly increasing, to the neck you can apply chilled in advance tablespoon. It will reduce the pressure - when cooled, the gas narrows.
• When pouring wine, the thumb can be placed in the recess that is on the bottom - this makes the procedure more convenient.

How to open champagne if the cork won't come out

Sometimes the classic method does not work. This may be due to the wine being chilled, not of high quality, or expired. Another reason is cooling in the freezer.

If you know how to identify real champagne and have checked its shelf life and refrigerate it correctly, there are a few secrets that will help you open sparkling wine.

• Hold the neck under running hot water. It usually takes three to four minutes for the carbon dioxide to move towards the "exit".
• You can shake the wine - under the pressure of the gas, the bottle will “open” on its own. This method is only suitable if the champagne is corked with plastic.

How to open champagne if the cork is broken in half

Such a nuisance most often happens with cork stoppers, but a break in the plastic “lid” is also possible. The first piece of advice on how to open a bottle of champagne if the cork is broken refers specifically to cork products. An ordinary wine corkscrew will come to the rescue, which is very carefully screwed into the cork.

From time to time it is worth applying a chilled spoon: the pressure of gases in champagne can reach several atmospheres, and screwing in a corkscrew further increases it, so the glass may not withstand. Be sure to wrap the wine in a towel and hold it firmly in the palm of your hand. You need to advance the corkscrew slowly and very carefully.

Did you know? There are also special devices that will make it easier to open champagne. These are special models of a corkscrew, similar to pliers. They can extract not only cork, but also plastic cork. There are also corkscrews that “pull in” crusts or plastic - this is a convenient option for girls, which is suitable even when the integrity of the package is broken, and the first attempt to open it failed.

As for the plastic “cap”, if it is broken and there are no special tools at hand, there are only two options: carefully open the “blockage” or try to pull it out with thin pliers.

There is another way to open champagne without a corkscrew, which is called hussar. It is best to use a saber or dagger for him, but if there is no such weapon at hand, a massive knife will do. Moreover, with a certain skill, you can even replace piercing and cutting objects with a spoon.

• Cool the drink in the refrigerator, then wrap the bottle in a towel, tilt it at a 45-degree angle to a horizontal surface and fix it tightly in your hand.
• Remove the foil and carefully unroll the muzzle, holding the ring. Remove the wire.
• Try on the place of impact - carefully examine the glass surface of the bottle, find two seams on it. It is necessary to beat with a knife or a saber along one of them.
• With the back of a knife or saber, hit the lip - a ledge on the neck. The blow must be strong enough - if the bottle does not open the first time, the pressure inside will increase significantly, and the wine may splash or “fly out” with splashes upon repeated blow.

This technology requires training and skill: if the glass cracks, fragments can fall into the glass. You can “rehearse” with inexpensive sparkling wine or try to cook “champagne at home” by practicing on it.

There are many ways to open a bottle of sparkling wine produced in the Champagne region, but this noble spirit requires respect. In order not to lose a single drop of a fragrant drink, it is worth learning the basic rules that are described above.

Champagne has long entered our lives as an attribute of a holiday, fun, celebration. But all this can easily spoil the inability to open a bottle of champagne.

And it’s not a shame when girls at a bachelorette party look at each other with a silent question: “Well, who will open it for us,” and then endlessly torment the poor cork - after all, according to etiquette, ladies are not supposed to open this drink.

But when it comes to men, and even in a romantic or super-solemn setting, like an intimate date in evening dresses or at the boss’s birthday, you don’t want to lose face and pour a sparkling drink on your friend’s new dress or break it with a cork the boss's wife's favorite chandelier. But can that be the case? Yes, if you have no idea about how to open champagne.

Therefore, you need to train. And before you start doing this, you should learn how to properly open champagne without noise, without a shot, quietly and peacefully. In general, so that a bottle of champagne does not become like a volcano spewing lava. And if someone thinks that cork shot is cool, we say right away - no, it's not cool. And not fun. And not etiquette.

And in order to beautifully and effectively open the champagne of everything, that's what you need ...

1. Cool the bottle to 6-8°C by placing it in the refrigerator or a special ice bucket for two hours. This is necessary to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide that is formed during the opening. But in no case do not stuff the bottle into the freezer - this will thoroughly spoil its taste. As a little extra tip - make sure the drink is not expired!
2. Prepare a clean small towel or napkin in advance, as the bottle, once warm after cooling, is covered with perspiration (condensation) and may slip out of your hands. Wrap the drink with a napkin, covering the entire label. Do this carefully, without shaking, otherwise the cork will still fly out of the bottle like a bullet.
3. When opening, start with the foil and wire holding the cork. After removing them, tilt the bottle 40-45 ° and rest it on the bottom of the table, for example. Point the neck to a safe place, well, at least to the wall, but not towards the chandelier, family china or lady of the heart. And then there's little...

Now you are ready for the most important thing - firmly hold the cork and start rotating the bottle (not the cork!). Don't be an amateur - avoid splashing champagne and loud popping when removing the cork. Slow and finger-controlled extraction will only prolong the anticipation. Slowly relax your fingers, holding the cork every millimeter of its progress.

If you feel that the pressure of the gases will now take out the cork, there is one interesting way to correct the situation. To do this, you will need to cool the usual spoon in advance when cooling the drink. So, if this same chilled spoon is applied to the neck of the bottle, then the level of gas pressure will immediately drop, and you can safely continue opening.

1. Having opened the bottle, continue - fill the glasses of guests or your lady in the same unhurried, bewitching rhythm. So you will not only observe all the rules of etiquette, but also turn the process of opening and drinking champagne into a kind of ritual. By the way, according to the rules, champagne should be poured in two stages and filled no more than 2/3 of the glass.

The ability to open champagne with a light pop (without splashing!) will delight guests, for example, at a wedding or anniversary. But this will require even more skill from you than opening without cotton. Indeed, in this case, you will need to neglect one of the main rules and shake the bottle slightly. At the same time, the increasing pressure will push the cork out of the neck with force, and your task is to first hold it, and then deftly remove it without spilling the liquid.

If you have already become a pro at opening sparkling wines, and the guests want not a traditional unhurried ceremony, but fun and "drive", then practice opening a bottle in a slightly shocking, but exciting way - with a knife.

1. As in the classic version, you will need to chill the champagne. In addition, get rid of the foil and unwind the wire (but do not remove it), completely eliminating its hold on the cork. It is possible to leave the foil and not untwisted wire only in case of absolute self-confidence, that is, in the complete success of the “operation”.
2. Choose the right knife. It should be quite large, wide, and sharp enough.
3. Tilt the champagne 40-45°, turning its neck away from people and valuables - neither you nor we need injuries and losses.
4. Now select one of the seams on the bottle, which will open. Take the knife with the point towards you and the blunt end to the neck. Swipe it several times along the selected seam, visually select a place to strike, and aiming, apply a sharp and strong blow to this place. But do not hit directly perpendicular to the neck. The blow should be slightly sliding, as when planing. If the first time it didn’t work out, hit again and the neck will probably bounce. Make sure that some of the liquid spills out - it will wash away the smallest particles of glass from the “cut”. Even though it should happen on its own.

In general, there are practically no fragments when opening with a knife. But if you are worried about microscopic glass particles, then after filling the glass with champagne, wait a few seconds, and even if something happened to be in the glass, everything will settle to the bottom. After draining the glass, leave a sip or two at the bottom, and you will protect yourself from eating glass.

This method of opening is called "hussar" and certainly looks impressive. Initially, to open champagne using the hussar method, it was meant to take not a knife, but a saber. But since sabers are now tense, they have been replaced by a kitchen knife.

But even if you prefer the classic way of opening, we recommend that you still practice in the "hussar" one. He can come to the rescue in case the cork is broken. Of course, in the case of a broken cork, a corkscrew, a fork, etc. can also help you. But you can do without a corkscrew. Moreover, the hussar method is still more aesthetic, besides, a cork that accidentally flew out under the influence of a corkscrew will not injure you, and your lady and guests will not have to watch you pick at the top of the bottle and pull pieces of the cork out of the glass.

Having opened 2-3 bottles of champagne, you may not yet become a “pro”, but after the 10th experience, it will take its toll and things will get off the ground.