How To Open Sparkling Wine Like A Sommelier

At €10,000 a pop, breaking open a spendy bottle of crisp Champagne, like Dom Perignon, probably feels a bit like breaking into Fort Knox. In other words, there's a lot of pressure, what with its cage-covered cap, thick, sparkling wine-imbued cork, and of course, the price tag. You certainly wouldn't want more sparkling wine to end up around your feet than in your glass. That's why you truly give yourself a gift when you learn how to open a bottle of bubbly with the deft expertise of the sommelier, regardless of whether it's Dom Perignon Champagne or just a spumante.

If you haven't tried to open it yet, start by peeling off the foil around the wire cage and the cork. Leave the cage on the bottle but loosen it by pulling on its tab and twisting it in six times — half turns, not full turns — like you're unscrewing something. Next, put your thumb on the top of the cork (and cage) and then make a semi-loose fist around both the neck of the bottle and the cage. With your other hand, twist and turn the bottom of the bottle gently. Keep your thumb on top of the cork throughout this process. Eventually, the cork will loosen its grip due to the movement of the container and move enough so you can pull the plug out easily.

If you're reading this and you've already pulled the cage off your bottle of sparkling wine, the next tip can save you from the inevitable "oh crud" moment. And no, you won't have to try to put it back on the bottle with this method. Instead, grab a cloth napkin or a bar towel. After you've gotten your linen, stand the bottle up on a table and drape the towel over the cork. It should look a bit like a kid dressed up like a ghost for Halloween, sheet on the head and all. In other words, the bottle is the costumed kid and the napkin is the ghosty sheet, the middle of which should be directly over the top of the cork.

Hold the bottle around the neck, keeping a hold on the linen throughout the process. Then twist the cork, keeping it covered with the towel. Underneath the rag, twist the plug side to side while gently pulling up on it. The twisting and pulling action eventually pushes the cork out of the bottle with no mess. The advantage of the towel method is that if the cork does run away from you despite the precautions you've taken, the linen will trap the stopper underneath it and prevent it from flying across the room.

There are a couple of things you can do to mitigate some of the issues associated with opening sparkling wine — namely, that it will spew everywhere once you remove the cork. First, if your bottle of bubbly has accidentally been given a good shake, you'll want to calm its internal jitters down a bit. The easiest way to do this is to find a spot for it in the freezer for half an hour or so. The cold shuts down some of the built-up pressure inside the bottle, and less pressure equals less of a chance that the cork goes flying. Additionally, because of the cold, the oh-so-familiar popping sound that you associate with opening sparkling wine gets quieter, too, so just keep that in mind.

Second, you'll want to make sure that you hold the bottle correctly. Most people will instinctively tilt it downward a bit, and that's what you want. The slant, preferably at a 45-degree angle, forces the pressure inside the bottle to bump up against the neck. When this happens, the neck of the bottle "catches" the gas and allows it to flow out the opening in a more orderly fashion. 

When you hold the bottle upright instead of at an angle, the pressure comes out the top. This is why, under the right circumstances, the cork flies off the bottle with enough power to bring down a chandelier. Always tilt the bottle before twisting off the cork. You'll save both the chandelier and your sparkling wine if you do and be on your way to becoming the sommelier you've always wanted to be.