How to Serve Champagne
Whether you are looking to entertain guests or simply looking to enjoy yourself, you’ll want to ensure that your champagne tastes its best. Champagne is not a cheap commodity and it would be such a shame to waste it. Properly serving champagne will enhance the already ideal experience by taking some precautions prior to drinking it. This guide will take you through the proper way of serving champagne at the correct temperatures and ideal glasses. This champagne serving guide will help you to prepare, open and pour a bottle of bubbly like a pro.
How to serve champagne properly
Follow these steps to serve champagne;
- Plan ahead before serving
- Open the champagne bottle properly
- Pour the champagne carefully
- Number of Serving in a bottle
All this might sound like too much to remember but is actually quite easy. You will be able to impress your guests as well as make the most of your fine drink with this guide. Here is how to serve champagne.
Plan ahead before serving
Before cracking your champagne open, think about the serving environment. Take factors such as lighting, temperature and smells into consideration. An ideal tasting environment is a comfortable room temperature, clear lighting and good ventilation.
First, you want to ensure you are comfortable when drinking champagne. If the environment is too hot or too cold, it may ruin the moment. It will also affect the champagne’s temperature and overall taste.
Secondly, good lighting is necessary to enable you to see Champagne’s robe properly. Visible light sources that are not overwhelming are useful to put the glass against and see how the contents diffuse through.
Last and most importantly, a well-ventilated room ensures that stray scents will not throw off the ambience. Consider the type of room and how it may affect this. If you happen to be in a crowded kitchen, smells from spices and cooking food may distract you and generally affect the experience. If you are in a crowded room that is stuffy, people’s perfumes or body odour may affect the experience.
Have the proper glasses ready for Serving
Always ensure that you serve champagne in the right glasses. Ensure that they are properly cleaned for obvious reasons. Ensure that they are ready for pouring. It can be very frustrating to pop the cork only to realize that there are no glasses nearby. This is the first step of serving champagne.
Never run your glasses through a dishwasher as this can leave traces of soap or limescale. It is recommended to hand-wash and let them dry naturally, free from heat. Also, ensure that the glasses aren’t too hot or too cold. They should feel cool to the touch.
Serve & Maintain the champagne at the best temperature
It is very important to ensure that your champagne is at the ideal temperature when serving it. Serving Champagne that is too warm makes it excessively foamy and is alcohol-heavy on the palate. On the other hand, champagne that is too cold lacks depth and flavour. Different champagnes are served at different temperatures. Non-vintage brut are well served at a temperature of 8°C (46.4°F). Mature cuvées are best enjoyed at a slightly higher temperature.
You will need to ensure that the champagne maintains the right temperature if there are fewer than 5 people drinking the champagne. There are plenty of cooling methods including buckets, sleeves or simply refrigerating.
How to open a champagne bottle
As satisfying as it is to pop a champagne cork, it can be a bit messy and can lead to some unpleasant moments in certain circles. It can also lead to slight injuries and messy clothing and the surroundings.
Follow these steps to open a champagne bottle
Hold the bottle correctly at a 45° angle and keep it pointed in a safe direction. Drape a napkin cloth over the arm holding the bottle.
Proceed to remove the foil which has a small yet visible tab that will allow you to completely remove the foil with your free hand. The foils used to be lead-lined to prevent mice from eating the cork.
Loosen the muselet or the wire cage by unwinding the folded-in key found on the side. It typically takes about 6 half-turns, but do not proceed to remove it completely. Ensure you keep a thumb pressed on the top to prevent the cork from shooting out.
Turn the bottle and hold the base firmly ensuring it is at 45°. Proceed to carefully rotate the base, not the cork until it reaches closer to the halfway point. Wiggle the cork gently if it requires some assistance.
Let the cork whisper. As it begins to release, you’ll start feeling pressure on the cork from inside the bottle. Do not let it pop out, keep applying pressure to ease it out gently. It will release a “whisper” sound like a sigh of effervescence as the cork releases.
Hold the bottle to rest at 45° for a few seconds afterwards without causing the champagne to foam. Keep the napkin above to catch any overflow. If the bottle comes out too easy, this could mean the champagne was slightly too warm or was a bit too young.
How to Pour Champagne
This is another key component of knowing how to serve champagne. In order to pour the champagne, you will require a steady hand. Follow these steps when pouring champagne
- Place your thumb finger in the depression at the “punt” and spread your fingers along its body.
- Hold a glass with your free hand at a 45° angle and pour it down the side of the glass.
- You may alternatively pour only an inch (2.5cm) in the bottom of each glass at first, letting the head diminish.
- Either pouring method will avoid a head of foam and will reduce bubble loss.
- The champagne bottle shouldn’t touch the glasses as champagne is usually stored in dusty cellars.
- When you’re done pouring, give the bottle a twist to catch any drops on the lip’s edges.
Note that champagne glasses are never filled to the top as it will prevent aromas from gathering in the glass’s bulb to create the aroma. Fill it up to the widest point of the glass, which is usually about halfway and this will give the wine breathing room.
How many servings are in a bottle of champagne?
Champagne glasses have different volumes, it is always good to anticipate how many servings will be poured before the champagne runs out. It is a bit embarrassing if the bottle dries up before having served all your guests.
A standard “champenoise” bottle represents 75cl (25.4 Oz). At a restaurant, a serving is legally considered 150ml (5 0z), amounting to about 5 servings. You are better off serving a little shorter to enable you to appreciate the champagne’s aroma. Servings Of around 120ml (4 0z) to achieve 6 servings. If the occasion is ceremonial and features a toast, consider serving less, about 90ml (3 Oz) to provide about 8 servings.
Knowing how to serve a bottle of champagne may feel like something obvious but mastering how to serve champagne enhances the experience for all and helps create a luxurious ambience. Following these steps will make the difference, even with a budget sparkling wine. This article has been a guide on how to serve champagne.
