Have you seen the way people open champagne bottles in the movies? There is inevitably loud popping, a flying cork, and a fountain of wasted champagne. That’s no way to celebrate!

These helpful tips will have you opening champagne bottles like a pro, even if you’ve never popped a cork before.

Step One: Start with Cold Champagne

Believe it or not, the temperature of the champagne affects the bottle-opening process. Warm champagne will result in too big of a bang and lots of spillage. For the best result, start with champagne that is no more than 45 degrees Fahrenheit.

Place the champagne bottle into a bucket filled half with ice, half with water. Then sprinkle a generous handful of salt on top of the ice. Spin the bottle in the mixture and allow it to chill for an hour before uncorking.

Step Two: Remove the Wire Cage

Champagne bottles typically have a wire cage around the cork, covered by foil. Remove the foil from the cork and hold the bottle out at a 45-degree angle from your body. Place your hand over the cork to secure it, and loosen the wire cage. Then remove the cage completely.

Some people prefer to only loosen the wire cage instead of removing it completely. This is a safety precaution; if the champagne bottle has been jostled, or if the bottle was not stored under optimal conditions, the cork could go flying.

You can protect the cork during this step by leaving the loosened wire cage in place, keeping your hand on the cork, or draping a hand towel over the end of the bottle to catch the cork if it pops.

Step Three: Get a Grip

Turn the bottle upright and use the towel to remove condensation. Be careful not to shake the bottle! You need to get a firm grip on the neck of the bottle with one hand, and grip the cork with the other hand.

Step Four: Remove the Cork

Now comes the moment we’ve been waiting for. Keeping a firm grip on both the bottle neck and cork, turn your hands in opposite directions. As you turn the cork, pull gently upward. You will eventually hear a soft popping sound. This is a good sign; it means you’ve successfully removed the cork without spilling, and your champagne is still bubbly!

Step Five: Pour the Proper Way

Have you ever wondered why champagne bottles have indentations in the bottom? That’s called the ‘punt’, and it’s a place to put your thumb while you pour the champagne.

Extend your hand horizontally, palm facing up. Hold the champagne bottle by placing your thumb in the punt and spreading your other four fingers to create a cradle for the bottle. This will keep the bottle secure while you go from guest to guest.

This technique also allows you to extend your arm and serve your guests, whether they are seated beside you or across the table.

Step Six: Serve the Champagne

Champagne is called ‘bubbly’ for a reason. When you pour, expect a lot of foamy bubbles to form in the glass. The goal is to give your guests plenty o champagne without causing the champagne flute to overflow.

You can accomplish this by pouring just a small amount at first. The bubbles will rise up near the top of the glass and then quickly subside. After they have settled, pour in some more champagne. The glass should be about 2/3 full after the bubbles have gone down.

Optional: Uncorking Champagne with a Sword

If you really want to impress your guests, you can open the bottle the old fashioned way – with a sword! This practice is called ‘sabering’. A saber is the traditional sword for this purpose, but any sword will do, as long as it has a short blade with a solid edge.

Start with a cold bottle of champagne. Be careful not to shake the bottle during storage or chilling. Remove all of the foil from the cork and bottle neck. Then loosen and remove the wire cage protecting the cork.

Hold the bottle at a 45 degree angle from your body. Look for the vertical seam on the glass. This seam should be facing up. It indicates the bottle’s weakest point, which is important for a successful sobering.

Take your sword in hand and lay the blade across the bottle as though you were preparing to shave the glass. Whisk the blade forward with a hard, fast stroke. The blade will remove the cork, and part of the bottle neck, with a loud popping sound.

Note that the pressure inside the bottle will cause some spillage. In this case, it’s a good thing because it prevents pieces of glass from getting into the champagne. They are simply expelled by the pressure.

Pour as usual. Bon appétit!

Who invented our favorite celebratory drink? That depends on who you ask. The French say that champagne was created around 1668 by none other than Dom Perignon, a blind Benedictine monk and master vintner.

It’s a good story, but its veracity – along with Perignon’s blindness - has been brought into question. The English version credits scientist Christopher Merret with the first deliberate production of bubbly wine in 1662.

You see, early wine-makers did their best to get rid of the bubbles which sometimes formed in bottles of wine. (That’s right – the bubbles we prize in today’s champagne were considered a fault by the drink’s early developers!) Merret discovered that adding sugar to the wine before a second fermentation caused the bubbly effect.

Regardless of who discovered champagne, Dom Perignon is thought to have perfected the vital carbonation process. Still, champagne proved to be more popular in England than in France until the 18^th Century, when Duke Phillipe II of Orleans introduced the drink to French nobility.

From that moment on, champagne production skyrocketed. After a few major setbacks, including the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars, French wine-makers took up their bubbly craft once again.

Note that true champagne comes from the Champagne region in France; anything else is properly called “sparkling wine”. Today’s drink is not as sweet as the original bubbly beverage, but it has been improved through many advances in processing and refinement.

Champagne has advanced from 17^th Century Europe to a modern and global following. We pop open bottles to celebrate births, weddings, maiden voyages, and New Year’s Day. Really, any reason will do; if champagne is on the menu, it’s time to celebrate!

The Royal Wedding is upon us and what better way to celebrate than with a Cuvee Royale champagne, we have carefully selected Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale as our royal wedding champagne of choice.

We have also sought the finest champagne flutes to commemorate the occasion in style.

The Darting Crystal Royal Wedding Champagne Flutes have the date and commemorative wording on the base and Prince Williams and Kate Middleton W & C first initial engraved underneath the royal crown on the flute.

The flutes are the finest crystal and available to purchase either in packs of two or with a Joseph Perrier Cuvee Royale Champagne.

Thanks for reading and enjoy the Royal Wedding.

Welcome to the brand new installment of lovechampagne.co.uk,

Our new website enables us to make it as easy as possible to buy champagne online.

We are adding new products all the time including the limited edition Dom Perignon Andy Warhol Champagne which is inspired by Warhol’s unconventional representation of icons, and the playful use of codes and colour in his work, Dom Perignon has commissioned the Design Laboratory at Central Saint Martin’s School of Art & Design to reinterpret its timeless bottle. The result is a unique collection of three bottles, each with its distinct label in red, blue or yellow, paying homage to Warhol’s iconic colour games. 

We are selling the limited edition release gift boxed and also we are doing a 3 bottle special where you can own all three colours released.

Other items include the very sought after Veuve Clicquot Cube Gift Set the self promcalimed party in a cube that contains a bottle of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Label and also limited edition Veuve Clicquot Champagne Flutes!

We have also put together a very special Krug Hat Box,

This item is extremely rare and we can add whatever three bottles of Krug you like in the hat box.

With Mothers day around the corner we have also added gift ideas from all your favourite champagne houses including G.H. Mumm, Veuve Clicquot, Moet & Chandon, Krug, Lanson and many more.

Check out all our Mothers Day Specials:

Thankyou for taking the time to check out our new website and be sure to follow us on twitter and facebook for all the latest news and offers for Love Champagne.co.uk