In these festive days, in which toasting with friends and family is a tradition, a bottle of sparkling wine or champagne cannot be missing at the table, to uncork and share. For many people, however, opening a bottle of “bubbles” can be a difficult task: the main risk is to shake the contents of the bottle too much and create a sea of foam.
But there is also another danger represented by the flight of the cork which, shot at high speed in the air, could hit and break an object or one of our guests. How can we avoid all this and contain the gas explosion resulting from opening a bottle of sparkling wine?
Here are our tips for a safe toast and the details to pay attention to.
The bottle handle
The key to being able to open a bottle of sparkling wine without causing damage is to maintain it correctly. With our dominant hand (the hand with which we write and do most activities) we hold the bottle firmly in the widest part, while with the other we grasp the cork, making sure that it is in the center of the palm.
If we have cold hands and want to create more friction to make the operation easier, we can also place a paper or cloth napkin between our hand and the cork: this will also help us contain any sparkling wine leaks from the bottle.
The movement of the hand
Now that we hold the bottle correctly, let’s start moving it to uncork it. With the dominant hand we rotate the body of the bottle back and forth, delicately, while with the other hand we continue to hold the cork still.
After a while, we will start to feel a loosening of the grip on the cork: the bottle is slowly opening. By continuing with this delicate movement, we will be able to uncork it without making any noise and without popping the cork – just insert the thumb of the hand holding the cork between the cork and the mouth of the bottle, applying light upward pressure.
In this way, we will avoid the risk of hurting someone and avoid scaring any children present. We suggest using this technique even if there are pets present, who could be very scared by the sudden bang.
The “bang”
If, however, we feel bold and want to celebrate “with a bang”, we can push the cork more vigorously with our thumb and make it pop loudly. Be careful to point the bottle upwards or away from both ourselves and our guests.
The glass
Unlike what is done with beer, for which it is usual to tilt the glass in the direction of the bottle, in the case of sparkling wine the glass (or glass) must remain upright – it is the bottle that must tilt.
We pour the sparkling wine slowly, so as not to create foam inside the glass, which we will still fill up to a third of its capacity.
The mistakes that ruin the toast moment
Many of the disasters that occur when opening a bottle of sparkling wine are caused by rather common errors, which are often repeated from generation to generation. The most frequent mistake is to shake the bottle before opening it, perhaps thinking of making the moment more spectacular: in reality, this practice dangerously increases the internal pressure and makes the cork a real bullet. Another typical mistake concerns the temperature: opening a bottle that is too hot not only compromises the flavor of the bubbles, but also makes the opening much more explosive and difficult to control. Surprisingly, some people even try to use a corkscrew to remove the wire cage or to pry the cork apart, risking irreparable damage to both the bottle and the instrument. Finally, there are those who make the mistake of pointing the bottle at themselves or guests while opening it, forgetting that the cork can travel at a considerable speed and cause even serious injuries, especially to the eyes.
Not all bubbles are the same
When we approach opening a bottle of bubbles, it is important to know that not all sparkling wines behave in the same way. In fact, the internal pressure varies depending on the production method and the type of wine: a classic Champagne, for example, can reach a pressure of around six atmospheres, while a Prosecco generally stands at around five atmospheres, making its opening slightly less explosive.
Franciacorta, produced with the classic method like Champagne, has similar characteristics to the latter in terms of pressure and therefore requires the same attention when uncorking.
Sweet and sparkling sparkling wines, such as some Moscatos, have lower pressure and are generally more manageable, even for those with little experience.
This difference in pressure affects not only the difficulty of opening, but also the quantity of foam that forms: a well-cold and correctly opened Champagne will produce a fine and persistent foam, while a Prosecco will tend to have larger and less long-lasting bubbles. Knowing these characteristics helps us approach each bottle with the right technique and the right expectations.
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