Everything You Want to Know About Bubbly
Hi. It’s the holidays and everyone (it’s not just me, right?) can’t stop with the bubbles. Want to navigate the sparkling section like a seasoned pro, or impress your friends and family with smart bubbly details and facts? Read on! We will be providing fresh tips and updates throughout the week. Comment with your sparkling wine knowledge requests!
How Cold Should My Bubbly Be?
In short, anywhere between 40-55 degrees Farenheit.
Serve fresher, fruiter sparklings (like Prosecco) closer to 40-45 degrees. Richer, weightier, and more complex wines (like most Champagnes and aged bubblies) should be served on the warmer end (50-55 degrees).
Why? Colder temperatures tend to mask flavor and aromatics (which is why ads for shitty beer tell you to drink their beer “ice cold!”) so a slightly warmer temperature will allow the aromatics of a complex wine shine.
Remember that the average refrigerator is around 35 degrees so we’d recommend letting any sparkling wine warm up briefly (around 10 minutes) once you take it out of the fridge.
But My Bubbly Isn’t Cold? How Do I Chill it Fast?
Method 1: Stick it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes. Tuck it in between all your frozen peas and meatballs to speed things up. If your freezer is close to bare, wrap the bottle in a wet dish towel. Whatever you do, don’t forget about the bottle and leave it in there—it will explode.
Method 2: The ice bath. Fill a bucket or a sink with ice and cold water and you’ll be drinking chilled bubbly within 20 minutes. You must use water as ice alone will not do the trick.
Bonus trick: Try adding salt, which will lower the freezing temperature of the water and chill your wine even faster!
Which Glass Should I Use For Sparkling Wine?
The Flute
These look fancy, plus they are great for making those little bubbles last. (But how long is that wine really going to sit your glass?)
The Regular Wine Glass
Preserves and traps aromatics (the smell of the wine) so you get a good nose full of all the amazingness. And since you most likely have regular wine glasses around the house, we recommend you use these.
The Tulip
If you want the best of all worlds, find a tulip glass. It combines the elegance of a flute with the wider bowl of a regular wine glass allowing you to preserve the bubbles and the aromatics. Whoa.
The Coupe
Modeled after Marie Antoinette’s breast (apparently), these are too wide and shallow. The bubbles dissipate quickly and the wine’s aromatics are lost. Not recommended.
How Do I Open a Bottle of Sparkling Wine Without Fear?
Watch below. Party Marty shows you how!
In short, here are the quick tips:
Keep your hand gripped over the cork at all times.
Turn the bottle, not the cork.
Don’t try to pull out the cork, but focus on keeping the cork in, letting the pressure in the bottle slowly push the cork out. Basically, you are letting the wine do the work.
Try putting a kitchen towel over the cork to help your grip.
Traditionally, champagne has added sugar! Now don’t freak out—this isn’t the same as a kid pouring sugar onto their parent’s plain Special K cereal to create some kind of fizzy crack.