Sparkling wine is a cause for celebration. Sparkling wine has never been a more popular beverage choice, especially in the U.S. The Wine Institute reported that in 2015, Champagne and sparkling wine sales in the U.S. grew by two million cases, topping off at an incredible 21.7 million cases that year. Woo hoo. So, the big question is: How do you get the most sparkle out of your Sparkling Wine? In this article, we will explore the five ways to get the most sparkle out of your Sparkling Wine.
Serve Your Sparkling Extra Cold
Because of its carbonation, Sparkling Wine tastes best when it’s served colder than most other wines. Typically, this is in the 43–48 degrees F temperature range. The best way to get Sparkling Wine to that temperature quickly is to use an ice bucket with ice, water and salt.
Why ice, water and salt? The bottle needs to transfer its heat to its surroundings. Ice alone has too many air pockets to effectively enable this. So, you need to add water. But adding salt lowers the temperature at which water freezes, keeping the water colder for longer.
Don’t Go for the Big Pop
While the big pop sounds like a big celebration, the big pop makes for less sparkle in your Sparkling Wine. Why? Because the big pop lets a lot of the gas out of the bottle. If you push back a bit on the cork as it’s about to pop out, then you can keep more of the gas in the Sparkling Wine bottle and get more sparkle out of your Sparkling Wine.
Open Your Bottle Properly
Use a small towel to dry off your bottle after removing it from the ice bucket. Remove the foil around the top of the bottle, and grab the bottle with one hand. Remove enough foil from the top of the bottle to show the cork, which is covered by a wire cage with a handle. Pull the cage handle away from the side of the cage and turn it counter-clockwise six times. Carefully remove the cage, while keeping your thumb on the top of the cork and lodging the bottom of the bottle into your rib cage area. Point the bottle away from people and breakable objects. Hold the cork and slowly twist the bottle, and get ready for the cork to emerge with a small sigh. As mentioned earlier, the smaller the sigh, the happier the bubbles.
Pouring Sparkling Wine
Place your thumb into the dimple at the bottom of the bottle, known as the punt, and splay your fingers across the bottom sides of the bottle. Pour a small splash into the bottom of each glass. This helps the rest of the wine stick to the bottom of the glass, so you don’t have overflowing glasses. Then return to each glass, filling it three quarters full with sparkling wine.
Use a Good Glass
Thank you to 1WineDude for this great graphic showing which glass gives you the most sparkle in you Sparkling Wine. I still use flutes for their romance, even though I know they don’t give you the best taste.
I hope I’ve given you some good tips for enjoying your Sparkling Wine. If you’re looking for a great Sparkling Wine, please check out our Cadeau Semi-Seco Sparkling. It’s delicious!
